Generation Z is driving the growth of a new dating culture, unfolding in an unconventional digital corridor
Generation Z in India (377 million people born between 1997 and 2012, totaling 377 million people) is the largest population in the world. Bangalore-based fintech company Smallcase said that over 82 million Indians were active in dating apps in 2023, making the country the fastest growing online dating market in the world.
As the market swells, here is another slide: Generation Z may be driving the growth of a new dating culture, manifesting itself in unconventional digital corridors, which is usually not an exaggeration to the development of memes, playlist effectiveness and AI catfishing experiments.
A strange situation
Content creator Himanshu Singh says that ZZ dating culture is completely in trouble at this point, and he recently conducted a social experiment using AI-generated images of women on Bumble. “I got ice cream dates, concert tickets and over 2,750 likes in two hours. People lost their minds,” he said.
Singh’s profile is not real, but the attention it has received. The experiment spreads, revealing the undercurrents of despair, chaos and “digital fatigue.” “People are tired of dating apps,” said Saurav Arya, founder of Small World. Dating apps gradually cook romance for “intention-based” dates, and even Spotify.
But as trust in dating apps erodes trust due to fake profiles and expressive BIOS, users are increasingly verifying platforms that verify identity, even if these platforms are not for romantic romance.
Enter LinkedIn is a professional website that is now viewing identity crisis as an unsolicited flirting advancement DMS.
The new normal is that every app has a dating use case, intention or not.
So, is love redefined or just caught by the crosshair?
Beyond profile
YouTube was once used as a dating site. It was registered on February 14, 2005 and it is not just for video blogs, it is created for people to connect themselves and dates to share videos. Its slogan was originally: “Watch, connect.”
Fast forward to today, and each platform has self-evident romantic potential and has surpassed its original boundaries.
For Gen Z, dating is no longer a preset definition of perfect appearance or personality. Instead, it’s about synchronizing energy, compelling humor, showing off shared musical interests and sharing meme laughter.
A 2023 Tinder survey found that 90% of Gen Z Indians are not only using dating apps to romance, but also finding new people and expanding their social circles.
They may be looking for deeper, more authentic connections. But are they real themselves?
“In India, Gen Z follows Western trends almost immediately, whether it’s nanopositions, conversations, situations, etc. or how they find someone’s way to date,” said Vidya Madhavan, founder of Schmooze, a Bengaluru, a dating platform based in Mumbai.
Yes, some ships sail on memes. On schmooze, people swipe on memes instead of profiles – matching humor, not how the user looks. “Users are looking for an atmosphere than anything else,” Madhavan said. This relaxed sliding masks a deeper signal: is someone who likes sarcasm, puns, political jokes or Bollywood gossip.
Schmooze's “Vibe Check” feature – commonalities between users, such as “both suffered from overthinking”, starting a conversation – makes breaking the ice easier, especially for those who often find it tricky to start a chat.
At the same time, for women, their appearance is not the only parameter to endlessly swipe cards. A safe dating environment and privacy remain a top priority. Schmooze’s all-female community, Girls for Girls, provides women with a safe space to share date stories, red flags and strategies. “Privacy and comfort are not negotiable,” Madhavan said.
Make it real
The desire for true connectivity resonates across platforms. Once seen as the midpoint between Tinder and the marriage website, Aisle now uses itself as an intent-based dating platform.
“Over the past year, we have seen Generation Z take precedence over aesthetics,” said Chandni Gaglani, head of the aisle network. “The increasingly shift to emotional honesty.” Gen Z accounts for 64% of the app’s user base in 2024, up from 58% in 2023.
To keep it relevant, Aisle adjusted its format with voice prompts and improved the “For You” section with personalized game suggestions and explained why someone is advised. “They want real conversations, not just small talk,” Gagrani said. “Our voice prompts enable users to express themselves more realistically than text alone.”
The fire is also adapting.
In its report “Swipe 2024,” “Search…” is Tinder's most commonly used bio phrase in 2024, which suggests that users want to be specific. “Single people are clearing empty chats and setting boundaries, leaving mixed signals,” said Aditi Shorewal, head of communications at Tinder India in India. “Focus on clarity and compatibility.”
The app is expected to bring more “visual board dating” in 2025, with users showing trust, sharing value and chemistry, and having fewer mixed signals. Then there is the concept of Kissmet, which is the turning point in traditional meetings. “Single people are getting rid of strict dating rules and jumping into more realistic, unplanned connections,” Shorewal said. Gen Z is increasingly looking for spontaneous real-life romantic moments – sweat hiking, messy pottery lessons or old-fashioned shopping raves.
music. Meet. match.
Traditional flirting is upgraded through mood boards, pop culture interests, and digital body language or DBL (based on interactions with emojis, punctuation and response time). The 2024 Hinge Report highlights that 77% of Gen Z users believe DBL is crucial to understanding the feeling of the game.
Music is not far away. According to Spotify's sixth annual “Cultural Next” report, 80% of Gen Z worldwide say they value their compatibility with music more than they seem. In fact, 89% of Indian users believe that “sharing similar music tastes will connect more deeply”.
Globally, General Z creates 72% of all POV playlists, while in India, 89% say songs played at critical moments become memorable memories. “Music goes beyond Generation Z listening – it's how they tell stories and trigger meaningful connections,” Spotify notes.
This phenomenon, known as “playlist flirting”, is rapidly replacing pickup lines and boring BIOS.
This shift is also obvious.
Arya of Small World points out that a fundamental honesty in Generation Z is often misunderstood. “Many of them openly say they are looking for sugar dads and want to be sugar babies. They are vulnerable and say what works for them. In fact, this vulnerability can actually help people connect more truly.”
This culture limits dating to companionship, bondage of experience and emotional support is a platform that inspires us to socialize. Community Gathering was founded by content creator Ravinder Singh and is an offline alternative to the app. “I spent six weeks chatting with someone and just realising it was a total mismatch. That was when I hit me – why can't we meet from day one, meet each other, feel the atmosphere and decide?” he said.
From a small number of parties with 40 people in Delhi, Let's Socialize now hosts more than 200 gatherings, connecting over 12,500 singles in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, London and Dubai. Unlike dating apps where dating apps often start behind filters and text bubbles, Singh’s events are built on face-to-face conversations and light touch introductions. “There is no pressure to pair, no swipe cards, no algorithms,” he said. “We don't even call ourselves a dating platform. We are a social platform. The rest happens naturally.”
Importantly, these events were designed as safe spaces for women – Singh said he personally ensured.
“We don’t do any ranking games, there’s no moving activities, and absolutely no ‘qualified bachelor’ competition,” he said. “Even one participant feels uncomfortable, that beats the whole purpose.”
Singh notes that in most cities, registering to make us socialize more than men, a reversal of dating app dynamics, and women often feel overwhelmed, objectified or harassed.
He did not observe this alone. “Most dating apps are designed for the subway and the good-looking men of every woman,” Himanshu Singh said. His AI dating experiment exposed the bias of the platform. “Average men are afraid or even offline because of fear of being rejected. So they lurk, slide and often remain lonely.”
This gap is gradually bridged with new platforms and events centered on emotional security, humor, hobbies and shared sensitivities.
“People are eager to talk casually about themselves and their interests and then maybe match,” said Kritika Madan, a 21-year-old Delhi University student.
What's next?
After years of ghosts and algorithms, the dating community has expanded its coverage but has worn out. This exhaustion has caused many people to recover to slower, more meaningful connections.
If that means they have to abandon brushing, skip the cheesy single line, and start over with a meme, go for it.
For a generation raised on the Internet and dominated by its noise, those trapped in a generational gap need not be traditional. It just has to feel right.
