What is Fast-Forwarding? The new dating trend is set to takeover 2022

Say hello to commitment

Tender moment between a couple - stock photo
(Image credit: Getty Images / Bobbi Lockyer/Refinery29 Australia - We Are Many Image Gallery)

With dating comes a lot of trends, some can be seriously toxic like situationships and ‘cookie jarring’ while others can come with a change in the times, from societal shifts to social media and even just growing up. According to Bumble, there’s a new trend emerging as a result of the pandemic—and it’s called 'Fast Forwarding.'

What is 'Fast-forwarding?'

Essentially it means you’re looking to the future, deciding what those plans look like, whether your partner fits, and looking out for all those dating green flags

Bumble says this trend started emerging after the pandemic and is set to be a big trend in 2022.  

According to the dating app, 34% of users surveyed say the pandemic has ‘drastically changed’ what they’re looking for in a partner—because let's be honest, we had a lot of time to sit around and think about it.

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(Image credit: Getty Images / Savana Ogburn / Refinery29 for Getty Images)

Many also said they’re now prioritizing emotional availability, with over a quarter saying they’re caring less about appearances. Basically, the pandemic has made us all way more open to serious relationships, and if these last two years have taught any of us anything, it's that being stuck with someone 24/7 who you don’t connect with can be a real drag. 

Naomi Walkland, Head of Bumble UK & Ireland, said: “If 2020 was the year of reflection, 2021 has been a year of discovery and we expect to see that continue into the new year. Along with rediscovering some of our favorite date spots, we’ve seen that people on Bumble are looking to discover new people, new priorities, and explore new ways of dating.

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(Image credit: Getty Images / Stephen Zeigler)

“As we head into the new year, our dating lives are a blank page, and this makes for an exciting time to try something new. It could be changing what we prioritize in a partner, being more intentional about when we date, or just sharing the activities we love. With half of the single people looking to ‘reset’ their dating, we anticipate that coming months will be big for romance.”

This info shows that singletons may be looking for more emotionally mature, and stable relationships, with people they can really see themselves in the future.

Naomi Jamieson
Lifestyle News Writer

Naomi is a Lifestyle News Writer with the Women's Lifestyle team, where she covers everything from entertainment to fashion and beauty, as well as TikTok trends for Woman&Home, after previously writing for My Imperfect Life and GoodTo. Interestingly though, Naomi actually has a background in design, having studied illustration at Plymouth University but lept into the media world in 2020, after always having a passion for writing and earned her Gold Standard diploma in Journalism with the NCTJ.

Before working for Future Publishing’s Lifestyle News team, she worked in the Ad production team. Here she wrote and designed adverts on all sorts of things, which then went into print magazines across all genres. Now, when she isn’t writing articles on celebs, fashion trends, or the newest shows on Netflix, you can find her drinking copious cups of coffee, drawing and probably online shopping.