One of the reasons Hinge is my favorite dating app is its ability for people to really show off their personalities in their profile prompts. In addition to basic safety and vibe considerations, it’s helpful to have a jumping-off point for small talk about each other’s interests. I’ve argued before why Twitter can work well as a dating app, even if it doesn’t always. Currently, I have a stranger who crashed into my Twitter DMs head-on by telling me (not asking) to grab drinks with him. His argument is that we should “get to know each other in real life” rather than “small talk” online. I responded that what he sees as “small talk,” I see as “basic courtesy,” and also as a way to get a feel for whether he’s planning on chopping me up into little pieces (which is always a non-zero chance, people). And also: Yes, I’m single, please pick your jaw up off the floor.
3 Things You Should Do on Every First Date
The “blind date” is dead. We live in an age where if I can find out your name, I can find out what year you graduated from college, what your sense of humor is, and maybe even how tall you really are. Given the opportunity for some “light stalking” (more on that later), why should I hold myself back? As long as you have some self-control, it makes sense to use the digital tools at your disposal to make sure your potential date doesn’t have any major dealbreakers.
While I’m all for researching people before you date them, you don’t want to sabotage a relationship too quickly with too much information. So, what do you need to know about researching a date online before meeting them in person? I casually tweeted this question to my fanbase network and did some research of my own to give you some clarity.
Online “stalking” is an outdated term that has been misleading since it was first coined. Unless you’re talking about actual cyberstalking, which is a serious and dangerous offense, you’re probably using “stalking” to refer to scrolling back through someone’s Facebook or Instagram. I’m here to tell you that given the state of social media and privacy expectations, this so-called “stalking” is not only acceptable, it should be expected, especially if you’re preparing to meet someone in person on a dating app.
