[Hinge] To bring How We Friend to life, Hinge partnered with NBA player Jared McCain (he/him) of the Oklahoma City Thunder and his best friend, Nate Thai (he/him). Their friendship shows how Gen Z men build deep bonds that are both playful and vulnerable
[Hinge] To bring How We Friend to life, Hinge partnered with NBA player Jared McCain (he/him) of the Oklahoma City Thunder and his best friend, Nate Thai (he/him). Their friendship shows how Gen Z men build deep bonds that are both playful and vulnerable.
Much of the cultural conversation about young men and friendship today suggests they’re lacking vulnerability and emotional closeness. Hinge’s new research tells another side of the story. Gen Z men already have and desire deep friendships. 71% of US and 65% of UK Gen Z men say willingness to be vulnerable is important in friendship.
That vulnerability, though, isn’t always obvious from the outside to other people. For Gen Z men, closeness rarely looks like sitting down for one big heart-to-heart. It’s often built through the small acts and shared experiences that happen every day.
That’s the insight behind How We Friend, Hinge’s One More Hour campaign showcasing the small moments that strengthen male friendships. Rather than focusing on what men aren’t doing, How We Friend shines a light on how they’re already showing up for one another — from the different ways they say “I love you” to hosting a potluck dinner for their fitness community. Through new research and male creators sharing their own friendships, the campaign makes the often-unseen ways men care for each other, easier to see.
Because the friendship everyone sees is built through all the little things that go unseen.
Spend The Day With an NBA Star and His Best Friend
To bring How We Friend to life, Hinge partnered with NBA player Jared McCain (he/him) of the Oklahoma City Thunder and his best friend, Nate Thai (he/him). Their friendship shows how Gen Z men build deep bonds that are both playful and vulnerable. 50% of Gen Z men in the US and UK say conversations with their close friends are an even mix of surface-level and emotionally deep.