Online dating platform Tinder in December released its 2023 annual report and an insight into GenZ's mood of dating. Tinder's Year in Swipe 2023 report revealed the trends, terms, and what kind of people GenZ preferred to date in the year 2023. However, what raised everyone's eyebrows was when Tinder revealed the term NATO and how GenZs are now preferring this style of dating. For those closely following the Russia-Ukraine war, Tinder's NATO is not 'North Atlantic Treaty Organisation', but 'Not Attached To an Outcome'. Below is everything you need to know about NATO in online dating terms-
What is NATO?
As mentioned above, NATO in online dating is Not Attached To an Outcome. It means people involved in online dating on Tinder prefer a no-strings-attached kind of relationship rather than dating with commitment. For instance, if you are a Tinder user, then a question- What are you looking for must have arrived. This is where Genz answered that they are not looking for anything serious. Tinder's 2023 report observed that people are now focusing on the journey together rather than the destination.
Tinder report says, "Young singles are focusing on the connection and are N.A.T.O (not attached to outcomes). In fact, over a quarter (27%) of 18-25-year-olds using Tinder’s Relationship Type feature say they are 'open to exploring', and 22% using the Relationship Goals feature say they are 'still figuring it out'."
The Tinder report further observed, "a shift toward a more open-minded approach to dating in 2023. Singles have fully embraced their main character's energy and are now fully invested in 'the plot'....rather than 'the
end.' Dating for 'the plot' is buzzing on Tinder globally, with a 5.5x increase in users using the term in bios like, 'Everything I do is for the plot, let’s make some memories.'
Melissa Hobley, Chief Marketing Officer at Tinder was quoted in an official release saying, "It’s so exciting to see the data at Tinder shows that 69% of Gen Z want to challenge conventional dating and relationship norms. This year in particular marked a major shift where the journey is more important than the outcome. This new generation of daters is showing us what it means to date for the possibilities, freeing themselves from traditional expectations, allowing them to write their own, worthwhile stories."