Dating

Millions of people are turning to TikTok to get ideas for what to do on a date or to spice things up with their partner. TikTok’s newest viral dating craze is Alphabet Dating, where a couple goes through the letters of the alphabet to create out-of-the-box date ideas.

Instead of letting things get stale (and doing the same thing over and over), TikTokers are posting their Alphabet Date ideas to help inspire others. For example, if you start with the letter A, you can imagine places to go or things to do that begin with the letter A, like visiting an aquarium or doing an archery session, as website Bustle notes. Then the next week, you look for “B” activities like bowling, bike riding, or playing board games. And so on until you go through the alphabet.

Partners can take turns coming up with ideas each time they plan. The idea is to go through the entire alphabet as inspiration to keep things fresh, new and exciting.

Tinder is heading in a bold new direction that includes regenerative AI and a “fresh and new feel” according to its chief product officer Mark van Ryswyk.

At the Reuters Momentum Festival, the CPO shared that he and his team have been studying common user problems and have identified three key elements to focus on: realness, respect and relevancy. Van Ryswyk said on stage: “There’s an opportunity for us to deliver something by end of year that’s going to start to tackle these things,” he added.

According to Fast Company, Match Group refused to expand on these comments, but the company has been focused on rolling out premium features and appealing to its fastest-growing market Gen Z.

Image: Bumble

Dating app Bumble has partnered with the much buzzed-about Warner Bros. movie Barbie, which premieres in July in theaters across the world.

Bumble’s partnership is to promote its new Compliments feature using images of the movie’s stars to bolster confidence and encourage people to try it out, according to marketing news website Campaign Asia. In addition to images, the app will have pre-recorded messages from the stars to motivate users to engage positively with each other.

Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, has a dialog bubble on Bumble’s app that states: “your taste in movies? Sensational. Now it’s time to show them how sensational your Compliments are.” Other stars featured include Simu Liu (Ken #2) and Issa Rae (President Barbie), and Ryan Gosling (Ken #1).

The way dating apps are being used is changing, with more people looking for validation, friendship, and online connection rather than dates.

According to a new study by Stanford Medicine, dating apps are now showing similarities to social media platforms: using them for distraction and entertainment as well as searching for love. Among the 1,387 Tinder users (aged 17 to 84) surveyed for the study, half said they weren’t interested in meeting someone from a dating app offline, and nearly two-thirds were already married or described themselves as “in a relationship.”  

Because of the changing motivations, people’s experiences on dating apps vary widely, according to the researchers, and have “a strong influence on their satisfaction with the app,” according to Scope, published by Stanford Medicine.

Dating app Bumble has launched Healthy Queer Dating Guide for its users to promote kindness and encourage an inclusive dating experience on the app.

The Guide covers a range of relevant topics, including how to start an online conversation with someone new when you are feeling nervous, and how to set clear boundaries when you connect. According to Hindustan Times, the Guide also offers advice for how to communicate that a match has misgendered you in the early stages of dating.

First date advice (and navigating to a second date), kindness in conversations, and how to approach dating when you prioritize your own emotional needs are included among other topics, according to Indulge Express. The Guide also offers important advice on how to deal with rejection, something every dater experiences.

Image: eHarmony

Gen Z daters are used to meeting people via dating apps and social media platforms, but many are turned off by influencers and certain online behaviors, according to the latest study from eHarmony.

The online dating company surveyed 2,000 adults across the U.S. and found that growing up in the online era of smartphones and social media had an impact on the dating attitudes of Gen Z. The study also showed how their attitudes towards dating and relationships differed from Millennials.

For example, 57 percent of Gen Z respondents said they’ve met at least half of their romantic partners via dating apps or social media. The study (local copy) also found that turn-offs for Gen Z daters were often social-media-related. Forty-two percent were turned off by bad taste in memes, 32 percent said regular use of GIFs turned them off, 38 percent said influencers, and 31 percent said not having an active social media presence at all.