Love in the time of coronavirus! Tinder’s annual report reveals EXACTLY how singletons are flirting during Covid-19 crisis – including bragging about TikTok fame and Dominic Cummings chat-up lines
- Tinder have revealed the most talked about topics among singletons in 2020
- Trending celebrities included Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and Tom Moore
- Popular chat up lines included jokes about Covid-19 and Dominic Cummings
- Among most used emojis where shopping trolley, wine glass and a loaf of bread
Dating is tough enough at the best of times and Covid-19 restrictions have only made the search for love harder, with singletons flocking online to look for that special someone.
And now Tinder’s Year in Swipe report has revealed use of the app’s messaging and swipe features are up double-digits from the end of February, with more daters than ever relying on meeting people virtually.
Looking at a year’s worth of Tinder profiles, the app found that this year saw the birth of coronavirus themed pick up lines, bragging about success on TikTok, and showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Among the most talked about celebrities on the app were Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Tiger King stars Joe Exotic and Carol Baskin and, Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings.
Tinder’s annual Year in Swipe report has revealed what singletons have been talking about in 2020, including Dominic Cummings’ lockdown trip to Barnard Castle
In January and February ‘Megxit’ was the most used term in bios. The couple are pictured hosting a TIME100 Talk earlier this year
When the Dolly Parton challenge became an overnight sensation in January, Tinder members found a whole new love for the artist- with 26 per cent more mentions of the iconic country singer in bios in January than six months later.
In January and February ‘Megxit’ was the most used term in bios, with ‘travel’ becoming the most used term by Tinder members in the first three months of the year.
An entire new breed of chat up lines took the app by storm in March, with mentions of ‘quarantine and chill’ taking off in the spring.
As lockdown woes increased, as did the creative one-liners, such as: ‘Let’s be like Covid and catch each other’ or ‘Wash your hands so you can hold mine’.
Netflix’s bizarre documentary series Tiger King was among the most talked about subjects, with Joe Exotic and Carol Baskin high up on the app’s celebrity agenda
Mentions of Black Lives Matter grew 55x in 2020. Pictured, British actor John Boyega attending a BLM march in London in May
As the months went on, Brits clapped outside their homes every Thursday, with 122 per cent more mentions of ‘NHS’ in May than at the beginning of the year.
On a less glamorous note, Dominic Cummings made an appearance even in Tinder bios following his notorious lockdown trip to Barnard Castle in Durham, peaking in mentions in May.
Creative singletons found an opportunity to flirt within the scandal, with lines such as: ‘It’s a long drive to Barnard Castle, who’s Cumming with me?’ after his infamous trip.
TikTok took over Tinder, with users sharing clips to flirt with one another, with many asking a match to share their favourite videos on the app to check compatibility.
The Eat Out to Help Out scheme was one of the trending topics of the year. Pictured, Chancellor Rishi Sunak serving up two katsu curries at Wagamama after launching the Eat Out to Help Out scheme
Captain Sir Tom Moore was another popular topic after the WWII veteran raised over 30M for the NHS by walking laps of his garden
TikTok mentions grew eight-fold in 2020 and peaked in May, with users showing show off their dance moves in their own videos, or brag that they’re ‘TikTok famous’.
Meanwhile mentions of Black Lives Matter grew 55x in 2020, exceeding use of the term ‘hook-up’ by the years’ end.
Starting in June, Tinder quickly filled with bios mentioning the movement.
By June and July it seemed daters had very much adapted to the new normal, with a much higher number of face coverings mentioned on dater profiles.
The new regulations about face coverings in public spaces inspired such bios as: ‘Who’s down to meet in the park with masks on?’ and: ‘If your mask is around your chin IDFWU’.