Tinder Year in Swipe report shows rise in new relationship status

A new dating trend has emerged in 2022 – but while some say it gives time for a relationship to develop, others describe it as “living in limbo”.

If you thought, married, single or taken were the only options for a valid relationship status, think again as now there’s a new option you can choose from.

The “situationship” describes that complicated place where you’re more than a hook-up, but not quite a couple.

But while definitely casual, a “situationship” is clearly defined – and according to new data from dating app Tinder, it’s a sticky in-between many people have found themselves in this year.

The new relationship status is among a string of new dating trends that have emerged in “Tinder’s 2022 Year in Swipe” report along with a “new generation of daters that are done with wasting their time”.

“Aussie daters are reshaping the dating world with the return to IRL [in real life] dating,” Kirsty Dunn, the brand’s director of communications, told news.com.au.

Tinder’s director of communications Kirsty Dunn has unveiled the dating app’s Year in Swipe 2022 report. Picture: Supplied

“We’ve seen singles be incredibly intentional in both who they choose to date and how they choose to date.

“As we shift into gear for 2023 and (hopefully) a properly sunny summer, the trends of 2022 will definitely guide the way Aussie daters navigate the world of dating, friends, connections and relationships.”

Situationship

Tinder saw a 49 per cent increase in members adding the new relationship intention to their profiles and over 1 in 10 surveyed young singles said they prefer situationships as a way to develop a relationship with less pressure.

For Aussie members, the main reasons situationships were chosen as a preferred dating status were to give time to develop a relationship with less pressure and to help make way for friendships or other relationships to form.

However, a quick scroll on TikTok will show the other side of this, with many complaining they struggle to transition out of a “situationship” and into a full-blown relationship, stating it leaves them feeling “confused” and in limbo.

@arrezoazim What is a Situationship? #situationships#fyp#dating#datingadvice#confused#casualdating#emotionallyunavailaible#relationships#date♬ Wings - BLVKSHP

Dinner dates are done

It seems the activities we took to during the pandemic are here to stay with things like walking and video games featuring among the top date activities mentioned in Australian bios this year.

However, other top suggestions included festivals and gigs, showing singles are meeting for more than just dinner and drinks these days, Tinder stated.

Instead they’re opting for less traditional, more authentic and sometimes sober ways to get to know one another, with camping, barbecues and street food all making it into the top 10 trending global interests on the app.

Dinner dates have been replaced by activities such as walking, camping and going out for street food. Picture: iStock

Sober dates

Over 25 per cent of surveyed young singles on Tinder said they drink less on dates compared with last year and 72 per cent of members said on their Tinder profiles that they don’t drink or only drink occasionally – this came in even higher for Aussies, with 82 per cent stating they prefer being sober.

Singles are over red flags and can spot them a mile off. Picture: Supplied

No time for red flags

While toxic relationships aren’t new, the red flag and gaslighting emojis were trending for good reason.

Singles are now more clued up about the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to dating with nearly two-thirds of those surveyed stating they were confident they could identify a red flag when dating.

The same amount also reckon they can spot a green flag, healthy qualities shown by a match.

Other dating trends that have emerged include “revenge travel”, with many of Tinder’s users increasingly using the app’s “passport” feature to enable them to peruse singles outside of their local area.

Strong stances on social issues were also on the rise, with 75 per cent of users stating it could make or break a match.