Once upon a time in the social media days of old, loved-up couples would flock to Facebook to update their statuses to ‘in a relationship’ mere hours after getting into one. But the tide has turned in today's romance landscape, and Gen Zers are ‘soft launching’ their relationships online through low-key hints such as obscured faces, empty plates at a dinner for two, with no other guest in sight, or a zoomed-in Instagram story of intertwined hands.

Research from Tinder found out that one in four 18- to 34-year-olds in the UK say they would gradually share their new match online, while just 8% would do so in a big reveal. Women are also more likely to wait until they are confident in their new relationship before posting about it on social media.

In a hyper-digital age, digitally savvy audiences are growing increasingly wary of what information they share online. The concept of a soft launch aligns with Gen Zers' shifting mindsets towards online identities and by leaning into the power of mystery and wonder, the soft launch addresses privacy concerns and takes a more measured approach to posting online.