Dating in 2024: Social Media Stalking & Background Checks [Infographic]

Tricia Miller https://www.datingadvice.com 2m 375 #firstdates

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

First impressions aren’t happening on first dates, they’re happening before! What are cyber-stalking singles looking for in 2024? A new survey by DatingAdvice.com asked 1,000 singles about what is and isn’t off limits when it comes to digital dating.

Roughly 68% of singles try to find social media profiles of their matches and for some, social media reveals enough information to walk away: 37% admit to ghosting a match because of something they found, and 40% have unmatched with a person. 

• 64% of singles say they “need” to look up their date before meeting in person (80% of women, and 49% of men)
• Avg. time spent googling a date before meeting? 20 minutes
• Social profiles that matter most: Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, nearly half (46%)  Google their matches looking for criminal information, news articles and work history.
• 24% have admitted to a date they stalked them before meeting in real life.
• 23% of singles arrange in person meetings after just a few days of chatting online, 43% talk to their matches for 2+ weeks beforehand.

Dating intentions: While many singles are looking for in-person meetings, the survey revealed 1 in 2 singles chat with zero intention of ever meeting their match. More than half (58%) admit to ghosting a match after simply losing interest, and 31% have sexted an online match they’ve never actually met (16% have sent a naked picture to someone they haven’t met).

For more insights about digital dating and intentions in 2024, take a look at the full report. Let me know if this fresh data could be helpful in an upcoming article for your audience.

The nationwide survey of singles found 64% say they “need” to look up a date online before meeting in person to make a judgment call. Singles are looking for red flags on social profiles, Google searches, criminal histories, basically anything they can get their hands– in fact, 40% have unmatched with a person after finding something they didn’t like.

While cyber-sleuthing may help some singles avoid potential bad matches, the survey also revealed a darker side to digital dating. 40% of singles have received an unsolicited nude photo, and 43% believe online dating negatively impacts their mental health. For more insights on digital dating culture, take a look at the report and let me know if you’d be interested in covering these fresh stats in an upcoming story.

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