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Gen Z dating trend: A new dating phenomenon referred to as "Throning" is taking over Gen Z's social media platforms, joining the list of contemporary love terms like ghosting, breadcrumbing, and situationships. This new phenomenon, which involves dating someone for the sole purpose of boosting one's social status, depicts how cyber validation is substituting emotional intimacy in contemporary relationships.

What Is "Throning"?

The term "Throning" is used to describe a relationship dynamic where one is dating someone merely to boost their own social standing or ego. "Throning is dating someone who, through association, boosts your reputation and ego," relationship expert Siddharrth S. Kumaar explained to Hindustan Times.

Unlike old-school gold-digging, in which the motivation is economic reward, throning is motivated by social capital – followers, fame, and online influence. "It's about placing someone on a pedestal, but not for love, for leverage," says Amy Chan, author of Unsingle: How to Date Smarter and Create Love That Lasts. She said that individuals are now "curating relationships the way that they curate online content."

Why Is This Trend Rising Among Gen Z?

Multiple factors propel the throning trend:

• Social-media culture: Since Instagram and TikTok form the hub of social activity, relationships are more and more presented for display.

• Validation and self-esteem issues: Individuals can feel low-value or lacking in confidence and hence choose a partner whose connection boosts them to their peers' esteem.

• Surplus of desirability and dating-app: A study quoted by various sources indicated that most users of dating applications look for partners at "25 per cent more desirable than themselves", consistent with the "dating up" logic of throning.

Social Media Destroyed Romance?

Because throning values image over intimacy, these relationships could be superficial. The individual being "throned" is frequently objectified, and the individual who is doing the throning can end up creating relationships based on superficial foundations.

Jamie Downie, LGBTQ+ therapist at Gateway to Solutions, explained to Pride.com, "Partners are viewed as accessories rather than human beings. It's less about enduring emotional connection and more about optics."

Trans activist and writer Dylan Thomas Cotter also opined that insecurity tends to compel this behavior. "If people don't feel complete within themselves, they seek to make up for it by hooking up with somebody who makes them appear more successful," he explained.

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Evidently, whereas throning may provide short-term increases in visibility or perceived worth, it erodes the essential aspects of a solid romantic relationship, trust, mutual assistance, and shared values.

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As Gen Z redefines romance, the experts concur that throning is a symptom of a broader crisis — how relationships have become status symbols.

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