News, sports, music, contests, blogs and…love? There are countless stories of people gaining notoriety, access to celebrities, and even job opportunities from Twitter, so is it possible that there is love out there too. Is Twitter a dating site?
The short answer is yes – Twitter is a dating site… or rather it can be. Think about it! You can spend hours, days, weeks, and even years interacting with followers on topics from reality TV to the government shut down to cold vs warm ketchup (yes, this is an actual debate some days). You laugh at jokes, follow people through tough times, and even form real bonds over your love of “Breaking Bad.”
Unlike other dating sites that compile your personality profile based on science and questionnaires, Twitter is a bit more organic. Your personality profile is a compilation of your thoughts (tweets), bio, and what you choose to ReTweet and who you choose to interact with. If someone is using their Twitter as a personal outlet for their thoughts and bits and pieces of their life, you can truly get to know someone’s interests, likes/ dislikes, and some of their personality over time. Tweets turn into direct messages, texts, and possibly a first date! From personal experience and the experience of others, there is success in Twitter dating. There’s some good and bad but that applies to dating in general not just the means in which you met the person. Although Twitter is a snapshot of someone’s life, if you find yourself attracted to that snapshot, you might as well try to get to know the whole person.
So how can you use Twitter as a dating site?
Say you meet someone in a bar, a grocery store line, or through a friend. You’ll chat for a bit through text or maybe a phone call to discover their likes, dislikes, and if there is any chemistry. You meet, chat, and meet again once mutual interest is established. That’s just about how Twitter works as a dating site.
You follow someone, hopefully they follow you back, and you spend some time reading their inner thoughts and finding out their interests. Suddenly you are LOL-ing for real at their tweets and a few direct messages (private messages that can only be seen by the two involved parties) and hey…this person has sparked your interest. Unlike the person you met at random in the grocery store line, you get a chance to see how this person interacts with others, what jokes they find funny, articles that spark their interest, and any hints of la-crazy before you decide to take it to direct messages, texts, or meeting in person.
However, like all dating sites, there is always the possibility that the person on the other end of the timeline is not being authentic.
Discretion is key. Although you can’t assume everyone is out to deceive you like some sort of dating boogie man, you can’t give those 140 characters the full benefit of the doubt. Approach this situation, like any, with caution and using your best judgment. Don’t let your guard down too quickly.
Is the person on the other end of the timeline authentic? Or is this a collection of the figments of their imagination (see: “Catfish”)? Use your discretion and caution. Anyone you meet can present themselves as a totally different person than who they actually are so that concern isn’t just limited to Twitter meet ups. If you choose to meet offline, do so in public and ask the same questions you would to any random person that you met and decided to invite to coffee. Take a smart-risk and see if love blooms!
Your new relationship could be one tweet away. In the new age of dating, you really have to throw yourself out there sometimes in an unconventional way to yield new results. If your dating pool has dried up, it can’t hurt to chat and get to know someone a bit better on your timeline. Just employ some discretion, safety, and good ole fashion common sense and you never know what kind of new friends or potential love you’ll meet one click away.
Have you found love on Twitter? Are you open to accepting dates from one of your followers? Why or why not? Comment below!
Dee Rene is the writer and creator of Laugh.Cry.Cuss., a faith based blog that finds valuable lessons in pop culture and every day life. She is based in NYC. You can follow her or the blog on twitter @deerene_lcc @laughcrycuss or visit the site at http://laughcrycuss.com.
