Relationships Talk

Looking for love in 2019? You better spruce up your Facebook profile. And while you’re at it, you might want to Google yourself and make sure the results are flattering. Because prospective romantic matches are cyber-stalking you.

A new survey from background-check company JDP reveals that 61 percent of active daters regularly research prospective matches. Thirty-eight percent of the 2,000 Americans JDP recently polled said they always do online research on people before going out with them, and another 23 percent usually do. Just 11 percent said they never research their dates.

This research goes beyond a quick Google search. Seventy-six percent of respondents said they spend at least 15 minutes researching each person they’re interested in. Some 16 percent admitted to spending 45 minutes or more scouring the Web for tidbits about their dates.

Facebook is the most common place to research prospective matches, followed by Google, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and then paid directories. When stalking a person’s social media profile, nearly two-thirds of respondents go either “most” or “all the way” back, while 37 percent look at just the “recent stuff,” JDP found. One in four people have reverse-image searched a photo of their date.

Most people are unapologetic about this practice. Sixty-three percent of respondents said they wouldn’t be embarrassed if their date found out how much they researched them. Meanwhile, some 40 percent have backed out of a date because of something they found online.

For more, check out the infographic below.