As 2019 came to an end Arti Patel, a journalist with Global News wrote a story on dating trends we can expect to see in 2020.
She touched on how online dating is here to stay and how things like ghosting are evolving with it.
Then she brought up something pretty interesting: filters. More importantly, the most popular filter on Bumble: zodiac signs.
Bumble allows its users to filter out potential matches through things like height, education, drinking, smoking, relationship type, family plans, religion, pets and political leaning. They also allow you to filter through the thousands of potential future partners by their star sign.
Sick and tired of dating Virgos? No problem! Compatible with Aquarius? Bumble has you covered.
In an interview with Patel, Meredith Gillies, the marketing manager at Bumble Canada, said zodiac signs were the most popular filter on the dating app.
“This feature allows our community to search for matches based on their star sign, and we are expecting this trend to continue throughout 2020,” Gillies said. “Even if you’re not big into astrology, it provides a playful icebreaker.”
If you’re someone who makes sure to read their horoscope every morning there’s a good chance you’ll find someone else who does the same.
More than 90% of adults know their sun signs and well over half agree that their sign is a good indicator of theirs or someone else's character. Are you an Aries? Then you must be energetic. Taurus? Stubborn! Sagittarius? Always on the hunt for adventure.
For anyone who’s really into astrology and can’t imagine dating an (insert your least favourite zodiac sign here) this filter could be seen as a blessing. If you’re someone who makes sure to read their horoscope every morning there’s a good chance you’ll find someone else who does the same.
There’s a catch, of course.
Not every user displays their zodiac sign to the world. Sure you might be able to filter out all the Leo’s but there’s also a chance you won’t find every gemini on the app.
While the filter may have been one of the most popular of 2019, not everyone was entirely onboard.
Annabel Gat is a professional astrologer, and surprisingly she wasn’t in love with the idea of filtering people out based on how the stars aligned on their date of birth.
“Pop astrology would have you believe that you are only compatible with signs that share your element: fire, earth, air, or water. This is untrue,” she wrote in an article for Broadly US. “When looking at a birth chart, seeing planets in signs with the same element shows that the energy is harmonious or easy; however, people are not planets—and easy doesn’t always mean good! We all have entire birth charts which inform our compatibility much more than our sun signs do.”
Plenty of people have argued that you can’t rely on someone’s date of birth to determine whether or not you should swipe right.
Can you really decide if someone is worth your time based on whether they’re a fire or a water element? Maybe, maybe not. But is it really that much different than deciding to message someone based on three photos and 500 character bio? If anything you’re gaining a little more insight on the person.
You might have some top-notch photos and beautifully crafted bio, but at the end of the day the alignment of the stars might determine whether or not you have a date this Friday night.
As they say, leave it to the stars.
