Facebook Stalking Your Next Date

Every self-respecting female knows that creeping someone’s Facebook, Instragram and Twitter profiles are just part of your dating due diligence. Don’t even bother with Linkedin – that ‘so and so just viewed your profile’ feature makes it an obsolete fact finding tool anyway.

Social media gives us the power to seek out every.single.damn.thing about a persons life.

I love creeping peoples Facebook pages. It’s my kind of porn. Friends or strangers – I’ll take both. Nothing gives me more joy that hunting, sifting and scrolling through peoples timelines and creeping the sh*t out of their old posts, updates and photos.

The biggest motivator for peoples porn consumption is titillation and a desire for connection. Social media gives us both. We can happily stalk the pages of interesting strangers and then follow, interact and connect with pseudo celebs and potential playmates all in the privacy of our own homes and behind our mobile devices. Lets face it, it’s your kind of porn too.

Before I met Ben, I would use Facebook as a security-screening device for potential playmates.

‘He has too many female friends, he must be a player’

‘I found photos of his ex from 3 years ago, FML’

‘Look at all his holiday photos – he must be so cultured’

…I’m not exactly the most discerning person on the planet and I still went out with guys whos online profile simply horrified me. My favourite was the sexually perverse swedish model/stripper who loved weight training, autoerotic asphyxiation and eating a mostly organic and paleo diet. It was his food shots and recipes that repulsed me the most.

Social media gives us a constant barrage of information, insights and strategically selected highlights all designed to make life look so much more interesting and engaging that it actually is.  It’s a great way to get a quick snapshot into someones life and personality but you still need to put in the face time to really connect on a deeper and less vacuous level.

I love using social media to keep in touch with friends and family from all over the world. It gives me a quick glance into their lives when a proper catch up just isn’t an option.  Whilst creeping someone’s profile is fun, it isn’t a substitute for a strong connection and quality time together.

Never judge a book by it’s cover and never judge a person by their Facebook profile.