Gen Z is driving growth of a new dating culture, unfolding in unconventional digital corridors

By sheer numbers, they exceed the population of the United States. They are digitally savvy — making them interconnected in ways that previous generations couldn’t even dream. Yet, India’s Gen Z seems to feel so lonely that every other online interaction ends up in romance.

From music playlists to personality tests and even the comments section, there is flirting everywhere. With every tech advancement, people are getting lonelier. More connected, yes. But also more alone. So why does modern romance feel less like a fairytale and more like a user agreement—long, confusing and often unfulfilling?

India’s Gen Z — individuals born between 1997 and 2012, totalling 377 million — is the largest such population globally. Over 82 million Indians were active on dating apps in 2023, according to Bengaluru-based fintech firm Smallcase, which makes the country the fastest-growing online dating market in the world.

As the market swells, here’s another swipe: Gen Z may be driving the growth of a new dating culture, unfolding in unconventional digital corridors — through meme-matching, playlist-flirting and AI catfishing experiments — often unafraid of its own contradictions.

A STRANGE SITUATIONSHIP

The Gen Z dating culture is completely messed up at this point, says Himanshu Singh, a content creator who recently conducted a social experiment using an AI-generated image of a woman on Bumble. “I got ice-cream dates, concert tickets and 2,750+ likes in two hours. People were losing their minds,” he says.

Singh’s profile wasn’t real, but the attention it received was. The experiment went viral and revealed undercurrents of desperation, confusion and “digital fatigue”.

“People are tired of dating apps,” says Saurav Arya, founder of Small World, a Bengaluru-based organisation that hosts offline meetups in multiple Indian cities.

It’s a case of being digital-first, yet real world-deprived. Dating apps double down on “intent-based” dating and even Spotify finds itself cooking up romance.

But as trust in dating apps erodes due to fake profiles and performative bios, users are increasingly valuing platforms where identity is verified — even if those platforms weren’t meant for romance.

Enter LinkedIn, a professional networking site, which is now dealing with an identity crisis as unsolicited flirtatious advances flood DMs.

The new normal is that every app has a dating use case, intended or not.

So, is love being redefined or just caught in the crosshairs?

BEYOND THE PROFILE

YouTube was once pitched as a dating site. Registered on February 14, 2005, it was meant for more than just vlogs—it was created for people to connect over shared videos of themselves and date along the way. Its tagline was originally: “Tune In, Hook Up.”

Fast forward to today, and every platform carries an unspoken romantic potential and has moved beyond its initial boundaries.

For Gen Z, dating is no longer about perfect looks or pre-set definitions of personality. Rather, it’s about synchronising energies, striking humour, flaunting common music interests and sharing laughter over memes.

A 2023 Tinder survey found that 90% of Gen Z Indians are using dating apps not just for romance but also to find new friends and expand their social circles.

They may be looking for deeper, more authentic connections. But are they authentic themselves?

“In India, Gen Z follows western trends almost immediately, be it nanoship, talkationship, situationship etc. or their approach to finding someone to date,” says Vidya Madhavan, founder of Bengaluru-based Schmooze, a meme-based dating platform.

Yes, some ’ships sail on memes. On Schmooze, instead of profiles, people swipe on memes— matching over humour rather than user’s appearance. “Users are looking for vibe matches more than anything else,” says Madhavan. This light-hearted swiping hides a deeper signal: whether someone prefers sarcasm, pun, political jokes, or Bollywood gossip.

Schmooze’s “Vibe Check” feature—striking common ground between users, like “both suffer from overthinking ”, t o start conversations — has made it easier to break the ice, especially for those who often find it tricky to initiate chats.

Meanwhile, for women, how they look isn’t the only parameter for getting endlessly swiped. A safe dating environment and privacy remain top priorities . Schmooze’s all-female community, Girl’s Girl, provides a safe space for women to share dating stories, red flags and strategies. “Privacy and comfort are non-negotiable,” says Madhavan.

MAKE IT REAL

The yearning for real connections resonates across platforms. Aisle, once pitched as the midpoint between Tinder and matrimony sites, now brands itself as an intent-based dating platform.

“Over the past year, we have seen Gen Z prioritise authenticity over aesthetics,” says Chandni Gaglani, head of Aisle Network. “There is a growing shift toward emotional honesty.” Gen Z accounted for 64% of the app’s user base in 2024, up from 58% in 2023.

To stay relevant, Aisle has tweaked its format with voice prompts and an improved “For You” section with personalised match recommendations, explaining why someone was recommended . “They want real talk, not just small talk,” says Gaglani. “ Our voice prompts allow users to express themselves more authentically than text alone.”

Tinder, too, is adapting.

In its report, “Year in Swipe 2024”, “Looking for...” was Tinder’s most used bio phrase in 2024, suggesting that users want to be specific. “Singles are clearing out empty chats and setting boundaries, leaving mixed signals behind,” says Aditi Shorewal, communications lead, Tinder India. “There is focus on clarity and compatibility.”

The app expects 2025 to bring more “vision board dating”, where users manifest trust, shared values and chemistry — with fewer mixed signals. Then there’s the concept of Kissmet , a twist on the traditional meet-cute. “Singles are moving away from strict dating rules and diving into more authentic, unplanned connections,” says Shorewal. Gen Z increasingly desires spontaneous real-life romance moments — a sweaty hike, a messy pottery class, or a vintage shopping spree.

MUSIC. MEET. MATCH.

Traditional flirting has upgraded itself through mood boards, pop-culture interests and digital body language or DBL (interactions based on emojis, punctuation and response times). A 2024 Hinge report highlights that 77% of Gen Z users consider DBL crucial to understanding a match’s feelings.

Music is not far behind. According to Spotify’s sixth annual “Culture Next” report, 80% of Gen Z globally said they value music compatibility more than looks. In fact, 89% Indian users believed that “sharing similar music tastes connects us more deeply”.

Globally, Gen Z created 72% of all POV playlists, while in India, 89% said that songs played during key moments became unforgettable memories. “Music goes beyond what Gen Z listens to — it’s how they tell their stories and spark meaningful connections,” Spotify noted.

This phenomenon, dubbed as “playlist flirting,” is quickly replacing pickup lines and boring bios.

This shift is evident offline, too.

Small World’s Arya notes a radical honesty among Gen Z that older generations often misunderstand. “A lot of them openly say they are looking for sugar daddies and wanting to be sugar babies. They are okay with being vulnerable, with saying what works for them. And that vulnerability actually helps people connect more genuinely,” he says.

This cultural unbundling of dating into companionship, experiences and emotional support is what inspired platforms like Let’s Socialise as well. Founded post-pandemic by content creator Ravinder Singh, the community meetup is an offline-first alternative to apps. “I spent six weeks chatting with someone, only to realise it was a complete mismatch in person. That’s when it hit me—why can’t we just meet from day one, see each other, feel the vibe and decide?” he says.

From a small gathering of 40 people in Delhi, Let’s Socialise has now hosted over 200 meetups, connecting more than 12,500 singles across cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, London and Dubai. Unlike dating apps where interactions often begin behind filters and text bubbles, Singh’s events are built on face-to-face conversations and light-touch introductions. “There’s no pressure to pair up, no swiping, no algorithms,” he says. “We don’t even call ourselves a dating platform. We are a socialising platform. The rest happens naturally.”

Importantly, these events are designed as safe spaces for women—something Singh says he ensures personally.

“We don’t do any ranking games, no touching activities and definitely no ‘eligible bachelor’ contests,” he says. “If even one participant feels uncomfortable, that defeats the whole purpose.”

Singh notes that in most cities, the number of women registering for Let’s Socialise events outnumbers the men — a reversal of dating app dynamics where women often feel overwhelmed, objectified, or harassed.

He is not alone in observing this. “Most dating apps are designed for good-looking men in metros and for every woman,” says Himanshu Singh, whose AI dating experiment exposed just how skewed the platforms have become. “Average guys are scared to even approach women offline due to fear of rejection. So they lurk, swipe and often stay lonely.”

That gap is being bridged — slowly— by a new wave of platforms and events that centre emotional safety, humour, hobbies and shared sensibilities.

“People are craving spaces where they can talk casually—about themselves and their interest—and then match maybe,” says Kritika Madan, 21, a Delhi University student, who recently attended a meetup of Delhi Reads, an online community of readers.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

After years of ghosting and algo-courtship, the dating community has widened its reach, but it is worn down. This exhaustion is making many return to slower, more meaningful connections which are intentional.

If that means they have to ditch the swipes, skip the cheesy one-liners and start over again with a meme, so be it.

For a generation raised on the internet and governed by its noise, and those stuck in the generation gap, finding love need not be traditional. It just has to feel right.