In case you haven’t been able to tell in recent years, dating has changed significantly. Yes, the online dating renaissance is upon us.
The interesting thing about dating is that it is all-encompassing in this world. You can’t keep a pocket of peace solely reserved for dating and not let anything else touch it. Instead, dating is almost a sign of the times and changes as much as the world around it does.
And while we love online dating and all that the invention has allowed us to do with our time and energy, it can get a bit overwhelming to try to keep up with the times and every single update or change that is made to the dating world.
How Has Dating Changed?
It’s no secret that there have been many substantial changes that have been made to the dating world in the past few years, typically surrounding the topics of dating apps, how to navigate online dating, and all of the other fun obstacles that have become necessary to learn along with the rise of the apps.
But one thing that we love about the new technological turn that the world has made toward dating apps is that these apps always have their fingers on the pulse of the best of the best when it comes to dating and they always know what is in and what is out in the world of romance.
One of the best ways to keep up with the ever-changing world of dating and what people are doing, experiencing, loving, or hating currently is to check out the trending dating words of the year.
Dating and romance take up so much of our lives and our brain spaces, so it’s no wonder that we have an almost separate vocabulary dedicated to dating terms. This vocabulary and its importance of it often becomes relevant near the end of the year when the various dictionaries come out with the word of the year that reflects and sums up the previous year.
Because of the stark rise of importance and relevance that the dating world experienced in the past few years, it was no shock that nearly all of the dictionaries produced a few words of the year that had to do with dating and online dating in particular.
But what about the words that were going to predict the rise and fall of dating culture for the next year? Was there anything for that?
The good news is that Bumble is way ahead of the curve and the team at one of the most successful and intuitive dating app companies went ahead, did the research, and has come up with the dating trends that we’re all about to experience in the next year.
If you’re curious about what this dating renaissance is going to look like, keep reading!
The Online Dating Renaissance
If you’re like me, you might not love change. Everything is always changing and upgrading and screwing with the rules and it can become almost impossible to keep up with all of the moving parts in this world.
Not to mention, dating and the recent addition of what online dating has to offer have already turned the dating world upside down and completely altered all of the rules that we might have previously known and were comfortable with.
All of these alterations, differentiations, and updates might lead us to question if dating even needs to be changed or if it can just stay the way it is forever.
We would argue that it does.
We briefly touched on the topic of the dictionaries coming out with the most popular words of the year for the last year, but we didn’t go too far into detail.
That’s mostly because these terms weren’t these sappy, feel-good, flirty words that might make you think of young love and the excitement that comes with dating someone. Instead, 2022 saw a drastic rise in toxic dating trends and the words of the year reflect that.
While there will always be toxic trends that emerge in the dating world and no one will ever be perfect, especially in such a high-stress environment as online dating, there is also a ton of room for growth and improvement not just in the app updates or our vernacular surrounding the world of dating, but also in how we do it.
One of the reasons why we love the fact that Bumble interviewed so many of the people who were actively using the apps and knew what the world of dating looks like currently is because these are the people who can make a change.
When Bumble asked over 10,000 active users how they wanted to see the world of online dating change in the next year, they knew that they were getting the ball rolling and keeping those changes at the forefront of their users’ minds as they all went about their dating lives.
If you’re curious about what those who were surveyed said would be the most popular dating trends in 2023, keep reading!
Keep Your Boundaries
It’s no wonder that, after the turmoil and toxic dating trends that took center stage in the last year, so many active daters were prone to say that boundaries were going to shoot to the top of their list in dating trends for this year.
Boundaries are a crucial part of any relationship’s success. It’s also a good idea to have your own personal boundaries figured out and in place when you’re approaching online dating, so you don’t get matched with someone who is not going to be what you want.
People are Taking Their Love All Over
While long-distance relationships are no one’s favorite thing in the world, 2023 will see people traveling more and more for love.
Even though COVID-19 isn’t out of the way yet, most people’s travel anxieties are taking a backseat and people are more excited and willing to think about the opportunity to travel for love.
Not to mention, because of COVID-19, many people’s jobs allow them to work from anywhere in the world, so if they do have to move for love, they won’t need to give up their employment.
A large portion of the people who were interviewed for Bumble’s survey said that they would be willing to travel for love, even if that meant starting an international relationship with someone.
14% of the respondents admitted that they had ideas of becoming digital nomads, meaning that distance wouldn’t mean anything to them. And a whopping one-third of the daters who were polled said that they would be willing to date someone who didn’t live in the same location as them.
These high numbers of people who are willing to do long distance is also a reflection of their dedication to actively pursuing love, no matter what obstacles might come up in the search for it.
Let’s Talk About Sex
It can be incredibly difficult to gauge a person’s takes and preferences about their dating lives when you’re just talking to them over the message section on your dating app.
Because of the stress and miscommunication that often occurs in these messages, people are done with beating around the bush and they’re ready to get into the nitty-gritty of what a relationship will look like.
Daters know that the best palace to find their perfect person is on dating apps, you just have to be very strategic in doing so. In 2023, we’re no longer being coy or shy about what we want in a pattern, even if that means that we have to talk about our sex lives on dating apps.
Over 40% of the survey responders said that they were going to focus on being more exploratory in their sex lives in the next year. Those percentages were followed by 20% saying that the past year allowed them to explore their sexuality more than they ever had before, leading them to want to discuss it further in their relationships.
Changing Types
One of our favorite new dating trends that have emerged in recent years is the idea of open casting. This idea takes the truth, which is that there are many users of all types on dating apps, and being single and ready to explore all that these apps have in store for you is one of the best benefits.
Because of all of the endless opportunities that are available for users, they are looking to expand their options in the new year. Over one-third of the respondents said that, in the new year, they are more excited and ready to date someone who is outside of their typical physical type.
Along those lines, people are no longer going for the ‘typical’ look when looking for someone to date. It’s 2023 and we’re no longer letting people’s bodies or culture’s toxic opinions of what a perfect couple should look like dictate our dating lives. 28% of Bumble’s survey respondents said that they were less concerned about dating a particular body type. But a whopping 63% said that looks didn’t matter as much as emotional maturity does when you’re hoping to date someone.
It’s All a Balancing Act
Dating is tough and being in a relationship with someone can take a lot of time, energy, and effort out of your daily life. People are beginning to see how much work dating is and, going off of their preference to create and maintain boundaries in their personal lives, they’re prioritizing things over their dating lives.
13% of dating app users have admitted that they will not date someone who is in a demanding job, often leaving them to be alone in their thoughts and in the relationship. This is a surprisingly low number, but not as shocking when you think about the way that work has become a high priority for people in the past few years. The other 87% of people are probably hoping that their partner has a busy job so they can continue to pursue their own passions.
52% of people are excited to date, but they’re prioritizing spaces for breaks and rest during the slow bits of their days. This means that if someone’s dating life is taking over their rest time, it’s out.
And 54% of the survey respondents said that they care that their partner is healthy and that they have a good grasp on their work/life balance more than what they make or what they do.
