Tinder reveals the dating profile trends of 2020, from Tiger King to pandemic pick-up lines

Users referenced Black Lives Matter, voting and Cardi B’s WAP in their bios in 2020

Tinder publishes 2020 Year in Swipe report (Getty Images)

Tinder has revealed how the tumultuous events of this year impacted the dating profiles of its users in its annual Year in Swipe report, which notes that social causes, political views and social distancing were all trending topics.

According to the dating app, the coronavirus pandemic did not deter Gen Z from dating - rather, Tinder found that its users “adapted and got creative about how they connected”.

For many users, this meant sharing their interests in their bios, with the report revealing the 10 most essential trends on Tinder over the past year.

From coronavirus-related pick-up lines to Tiger King, these were the trending topics on Tinder.

Black Lives Matter

According to the 2020 Year in Swipe report, mentions of Black Lives Matter or BLM in profiles increased 55 per cent in 2020. 

The dating app noted that the increase started in June, which was shortly after George Floyd’s death sparked protests around the world.

Pandemic pick-up lines

As parts of the country began entering lockdown in March, Tinder reported an increase in pick-up lines focused on the pandemic.

One of the most popular ones, according to the app, was “quarantine & chill”.

Other pick-up lines included: “Wash your hands so you can hold mine,” the report found.

TikTok

With TikTok’s popularity taking off in 2020, it comes as no surprise that mentions of the app also made their way to Tinder.

According to the report, TikTok mentions increased by eight per cent in 2020 and peaked in May, with users sharing their favourite TikToks, or showing off their own viral clips on the app.

Masks

Safety was on the minds of many Tinder users, the report found, with mentions of masks found to be up by nearly 10 per cent.

In addition to bios suggesting dates with masks on, users also noted that it was a red flag if potential matches didn’t wear masks correctly.

Carole Baskin

According to Tinder’s data, bios that included the Tiger King theory  “Carole Baskin killed her husband” was a common deal-breaker on the app, while the show also worked as a conversation starter.

Voting

Users frequently used their Tinder profiles to encourage others on the app to vote in the presidential election, with mentions of “vote” doubling in 2020, according to the report.

Voting also acted as a “vibe check,” Tinder notes, with users indicating in their profiles that they were only looking for matches who voted.

Animal Crossing

The report notes that Animal Crossing provided a virtual way for matches to meet up, with mentions of the game peaking in May.

Shrug emoji

As the unprecedented year continued, Tinder users expressed their uncertainty with the shrug emoji, which the app found to be the most-used emoji of the year.

WAP

Cardi B’s song became the number one song on the app in August and inspired bios about the rapper’s WAP dance.

Passport feature

Perhaps unsurprisingly considering travel bans implemented around the globe, Tinder saw a surge in people who used the app’s Passport feature, which allows users to change their location to anywhere in the world.

In April, Tinder reported 16 per cent of users used the feature, a seven per cent increase from 2019.

Overall, the report, which analysed data from Tinder profiles in the US from Jan to Nov 15 for both 2019 and 2020, exemplified themes of “creativity and resilience,” according to Tinder, which states that users still managed to “unapologetically be themselves” in 2020.