Move over situationships, Gen Z is now 'NATO' dating. Here's what it is

NATO has been embraced by Gen Z in 2023 and is the top dating trend this year.

New data by Tinder has revealed that Gen Z is not necessarily looking for a “happily ever after” but is more interested in creating memorable experiences when it comes to the realm of dating.

According to the dating app’s annual ‘Year in Swipe’, which shares “the State of the Date in 2023”, young singles are not concerned about the end goal but are more interested in the journey of getting to know someone. A trend called "NATO" was observed this year by Tinder.

What is NATO dating?

Before all military enthusiasts think that NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, here it is actually the acronym for Not Attached to an Outcome. “This year in particular marked a major shift where the journey is more important than the outcome,” Tinder’s chief marketing officer Melissa Hobley said.

“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,” she added.

NATO has been embraced by Gen Z this year and “helps open up the possibilities of any/all connections” instead of being “fixated” on a specific endgame,” Tinder Australia spokesperson Kirsty Dunn said.

“Users are not ‘looking’ for anything. They’re not putting pressure on themselves, or others, by setting that expectation of only looking for a relationship or only looking for something casual.”

It’s very much in line with what we’ve been seeing over the last couple of years – particularly last year, as situationships became increasingly more prevalent. They’re focusing on getting to know someone, being in the present and living in the moment. They’re leaving it open-ended so that they can explore whatever path they want – which can be quite freeing and liberating,” she added.

Meanwhile, more than a quarter (27 percent) of individuals aged 18-25 using Tinder’s Relationship Type feature said they're "open to exploring". On the other hand, 22 percent of people using the Relationship Goals feature said they were “still figuring it out”.

When it comes to India, a similar trend was seen. A quarter (25 percent) of users are open to exploring and 65 percent are still figuring it out, a report by Tinder said.

The report also quoted Dr Chandni Tugnait, Life Coach and Relationship Expert partner with Tinder India, who said, “This year we witnessed a shift in dating with young singles becoming the authors of their own romantic narratives. For them, it was more about letting experiences unfold naturally without the weight of expectations, rigid plans, and labels.”

“Doing it for the plot encourages young singles to embrace openness to new experiences and say yes to opportunities they might otherwise overlook. Shifting away from outcome-focused dating, this reflects a move towards viewing the dating journey as a path to self-discovery, not just a checklist for commitment.”