Tinder really had our backs in 2016. We’ll admit, back in 2015, we nodding along as we read Vanity Fair journalist Nancy Jo Sales’ horrified take on modern dating culture, entitled “Tinder and the ‘Dating Apocalypse.” Over time, however, the swipe-powered app has become increasingly, well, normal. These days, some 80 percent of Tinder users aren’t propagating hookup culture; they’re looking for substantive, long-term relationships (according to Tinder’s in-house sociologist Jessica Carbino, a totally unbiased source). Plus, this November, the folks at Tinder showed us just how plugged-in they are by adding more inclusive gender identity options. Users can now select a fill-in-the-blank feature instead of just “male” or “female” and choose whether or not the label even appears on their profile.
In 2017, Tinder aims to keep up the good work. Particularly on the first Sunday of the year, or, as Tinder likes to call it, “Dating Sunday.” In a recent press release, the connection-creating app announced that those who are single and looking to mingle-slash-find love will have the best chance of doing so on January 8, as “the first Sunday of the new year is typically the most popular day for swiping.” (Last Sunday doesn’t count because it was actual New Year’s Day, the company explains.)
That said, January 1 had a pretty solid Tinder turnout — it was one of the biggest days of usage ever. The app saw an influx of new users (“and more users = more chances to find your match”). Still, the app expects the swiping and soul mate-finding to peak this Sunday, as it has in years past. And where will all this romance go down? Last year, the top ten swipe cities were — in descending order — London, Sao Paulo, New York, Stockholm, Chicago, Berlin, Istanbul, Oslo, Budapest and Montreal. Stay put or book your plane tickets accordingly.
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Carbino has this to say of user’s romantic resolve: “Typically, we’ve seen a spike in people joining and using Tinder at the beginning of each year. With the close of one year comes new beginnings in the next, and during the last few weeks of the year, people often take time to reflect on their accomplishments, failures, as well as reassess how to improve their lives in the New Year – especially in the romance category. For singles, a very common New Year’s resolution is to find a significant other. With the combined spike in Tinder usage and millions of existing users in 196 countries, 2017 may be your year for meeting that special someone no matter where you are.”
While celebrity solo (in more ways than one) artists like Nicki Minaj are starting the new year just “focusing on their work,” other singles are “feeling refreshed and ready to put themselves out there,” Tinder’s resident sociologist affirms. “In the spirit of ‘New Year, New You,’ people are open to new experiences which may include focusing on their love life and joining an app, like Tinder, that fosters new connections.”
Though Carbino pinpoints “the beginning of each year” as optimal matchmaking time, don’t think you can put off pursuing the app until late January. “In 2016, there was a 10 percent increase in matches made on Dating Sunday (January 3) compared to the last Sunday of January (January 31),” states the release. (Early birds and all that.) There you have it. All you hopeless romantics out there, have your fingers flexed and your witty GIFs ready to go on Sunday — and may the odds be ever in your favor.
