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 “Much has been said and done about the global dating patterns, but this time, we wanted to shed some light on the up-and-coming desi online dating trends and specifically observe GenZ Indian daters’ behaviour. We have noticed that approximately 44 percent of the participants have been a part of more than one trend, with Delushionship and Evil Dead Rise on the lead,” says QuackQuack’s Founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal.

Celebrating its 25M milestone, India’s homegrown dating app, ran a survey among its GenZ users to find out the latest scoop of the virtual dating world. 15,000 men and women between 18 to 26 participated in the survey. 

The individuals taking part came from tier 1 cities -- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and more and tier 2 cities -- Surat, Lucknow, Jaipur, Bhopal, Patna, Indore, Kochi, Kanpur, and Guwahati. The participants of the survey are self-employed, working professionals, and students.

Delusionship

39 percent of survey participants disclosed being in a “delusionship” at least once in their dating lifespan. Explaining this trend, they said “delusionship” is a state of mind wherein the person imagines an entire relationship, starting from proposing to ending in marriage and kids, without even making a single move on their crush. It's all in their heads, and 29 percent of these people who revealed their delusionships are introverts. 

Extroverts are also a part of this trend, and they think it’s more common than most people care to admit. Users from both tier 1 and 2 cities alike have experienced this intense “obsession and daydreaming,” as they termed it. It builds slowly and steadily, but thankfully, it does not last long. If it does, that no longer comes under the delusionship category.

Evil Dead Rise

Exes trying to re-enter with new and upgraded fake promises is not new, but GenZ daters have certainly given it a fresh and fancy term- “Evil Dead Rise”. 37 percent of dating app users between 18 to 22 have admitted that they have been on the receiving end of the Evil Dead Rise, and the term fits the trauma that comes from rehashing the past. 

Seven per cent of daters from tier 1 and 2 cities admitted being the Evil Dead Rise in someone’s life, and they justified that their intentions were not as evil as people are making it sound. For every trend, perspective matters.

Chameleoning

Shining light on new trends, the survey shows “Chameleoning” is on the lead- this trend is where daters keep changing their personalities, likes, and dislikes to fit their matches’. The app has even seen some users change the same in their profile bios and preferences. 
23 per cent of women between 23 to 26 revealed that time and again, they have altered their persona to be more likable, and they think almost everyone does it, some more subtle than others. 

31 per cent of men between 21 and 25 have done the same to impress their date. 36 per cent of men and women opined that while chameleoning is common, and almost everyone does some minor alterations, any major change is not sustainable; sooner than later, people’s true colors start showing, and that can be more damaging.

Fake-ups

Among other intriguing trends, the survey shows “Fake-Up” is stealing the limelight these days. Fake-Up is the trend where GenZ daters, especially single men, fake a breakup to gather sympathies from female daters and strike up a conversation with the end goal of dating them. 

18 percent of male daters from metros and smaller cities disclosed using fake-up stories to talk to their crush. 
Compared to men, the number of females participating in this trend is much lower, and 23 per cent of women above 21 believe that women’s compassion makes it easier for men to use fake-up to slide into their DMs.