From fanship to nanoship: Survey reveals the evolving dating scene of India beyond ‘relationships’

In a time when love is no longer a straightforward dichotomy of ‘single or taken’, a new vocabulary of romance has developed. A survey of the modern love life by dating app QuackQuack, released recently, shows that love today is a rich patchwork of relationships, changing what it is to be with another person. From the research, done with 11,923 daters between the ages of 18 and 30, an astonishing 57 percent have undergone some kind of ‘ship’ that exists outside the traditional relationship.

All you need to know about the different ‘ships’ in dating 2025

Situationship, previously viewed as a toxic trend, is now staging a comeback as a stress-free relationship. An undefined relationship based on chemistry and confusion, it’s a test run for commitment-phobic singles. In a shocking twist, two in seven active Tier 1 city daters confessed to being in a situationship last year, viewing it as a means of creating a deeper connection minus the pressure of a label.

For Gen Z, the nanoship is the preferred method for testing the waters. A fleeting connection that either blossoms into a relationship or fades away, it’s all about whether the ‘vibes’ align. A significant 27 percent of men and 33 percent of women between 20 and 24 have experienced a nanoship, valuing it for its ability to teach them what they truly want in a partner without the bitterness of a bad breakup.

And then there is fanship — a relationship that is sparked by admiration from a distance. This unilateral ‘ship’ is an intimate, frequently fanciful, relationship with no actual interaction. A whopping 18 percent of city-dwelling men admitted to being in a fanship with a partner for more than six months, blissfully dwelling in a state of denial and expectation.

Lastly, the ’microship’ is a hyper-intense but short-lived connection that is often mistaken for its smaller counterpart. It burns hot and quickly, usually lasting no more than one to three weeks. Marked by speeded-up intimacy and a readiness for ‘trauma dumping’ within moments, it falters as swiftly as it started. A stark statistic three in seven women have been through this head-spinning connection, citing that the sheer information dump tends to push it to its inevitable crashing point.

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