Online Dating, Gen Z, Marijuana And More

Online dating is here to stay, sort of, maybe.  A significant portion of both the US and Canada use online dating with success. And like most mass media things, it has involved with the culture. Grinder, long known as the gay hook up site paved the pathway for Tinder, known as a straight hook up site. Match.com, the largest dating app, has few filters and allows people to date who they want – gay, straight, different states, ethnicities and streaming habits.

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But for all the benefits, Gen Z is upending it again. Gen Z is moving away from dating apps and meeting people in real life. And learning it definitely different meeting someone face to face instead of gram to gram. Studies show the most popular user of dating apps are between the ages of 30 and 49, mostly millennial, make up 61% of dating app users, whereas Gen-Z comes in at only 26%.

This generation are into grandma’s china, vinyl, home cooking and vintage clothes. But they are also inclusive with 41% wanting clothing retailers to offer more inclusive sizes a range of body types in advertising.  And they have a whole different take on marijuana.

Boomers tend to see marijuana in a skeptical eye. While more are starting to be open to it, it is more of a novel than say beer, wine or gardening. Gen Z sees marijuana as a better option than booze. They have started drifting away from alcohol and embracing weed. Especially in smaller groups. With vapes and gummies being more on the go, minimum odor and more discreet, it is the sound solution. A portion of Gen Z helped make California Sober a thing, which is when you just use marijuana and give up alcohol.

Match.com was the first dating site to add 4/20 friendly in November of 2019. Now it is on most mainstream sites and Gen Z sees it more like asking if you like craft cocktails.  They are also are more open to a wider variety of people for short and longer term relationships.

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As Gen-Z open their minds and heart with in-person dating, they are experiencing what previous generations have long endured. They cite fear of rejection and being cringe amongst their top concerns for being online. Older generations have more experience with the discomfort of dating rejection both online and in person. Experience helps frame the rejection and rebound more easily after an awkward encounter, rather than internalizing it as “cringe” which can’t be overcome.