TikTok creators share their personalized 'Dating Wrapped'
TikTok trend breaks down the numbers on the creator's recent dating life.
Spotify "Wrapped" -- the annual roundup of the streaming service's top songs and genres, complete with personalized information for each listener -- has become a viral sensation in recent years. And this Valentine's Day, "wrapping" isn't just for music lovers anymore.
"Somebody came up with the idea of doing a 'Dating Wrapped' on TikTok in the same kind of format," said Amelia Samson, an online creator focused on dating culture.
The videos are simple -- often it's just a person talking to their phone's camera while clicking through a homemade PowerPoint presentation on a laptop. The slideshows break down the numbers on the creator's recent dating life, with colorful charts and graphs describing how many first dates they had, what they did on the date and whether it led to a second date.
Samson said the trend began last year over the holidays, with users of apps like Hinge and Bumble recounting their year in dating. But creators have continued to post into the new year, with some making shorter-term "Wrapped" videos for the month of January.
“People are always talking about their dating experiences with friends and coworkers, so it’s only natural they share it on their social media,” said Michael Kaye, Global Head of Communications at OkCupid. According to Kaye, nearly 7 in 10 of the company’s users also have social media accounts.
“With the rising popularity of TikTok, it was only a matter of time before dating became a trending topic,” he said.
"It was good bait too for people to ask for, like, 'storytimes,' so that they could get more eyes on their TikTok," said Samson. Often, TikTok users will comment "storytime" on videos, indicating they'd like the creator to expand on something in a follow-up video.
Not all data is good data, however. Many Wrappeds chart out how many first dates there were, what apps were used and the activity of the date -- but the videos can also detail more negative experiences, like how the relationship ended. Samson said highlighting the more embarrassing aspects of modern dating is part of the reason the trend became so popular.
"I think that that kind of gets to like the crux of why people were enjoying watching them so much because I don't think that we hear enough about dating 'fails' that people are having."
Samson said the trend was a welcome dose of reality in an often challenging social media landscape.
"That's like the whole thing with, like, Instagram, is seeing … happy couples and feeling like you're all alone," she said. "There's something really comforting about the camaraderie of like: 'OK, yeah I'm also not doing great at this but we can laugh at it.'"
"When I was watching these I was like, 'Oh thank god," said Samson. "It's not just me that's having like, all this bad luck."
Hear ABC News Radio's Mike Dobuski report on the "Dating Wrapped" trend:
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