Monitoring who views your stories, curating your profile, following someone to grab their attention, and sliding into DMs. The ways we use Instagram are full of flirting potential. In fact, a former Instagram staffer "app" told me that the stories feature has pretty much become a dating product. And a former Bumble staffer told me that Instagram was often viewed as a competitor internally.
Is Instagram the Best Dating App?
These staffers were granted dating because they weren't authorized to dating discuss company strategy. As dating app users grow fatigued by endless swiping criticism farmers only dating login phrase lukewarm matches, alternative approaches to online dating are emerging — from apps that focus on IRL dating to simply connecting with people over social media like Instagram. What started as a pandemic-era livestream where Kerrigan herself went on dates, LFD is now a full-fledged dating service where Kerrigan curates a batch of eligible singles every Saturday and sends profiles to an Instagram broadcast channel with about 4, people.
While Kerrigan thought about going the route of building a dating app, she opted to keep her product Instagram-native. Kerrigan told BI that while she has considered charging for access to app channel via Instagram's subscription product, she is more focused on building trust and proof of concept.
Kerrigan's LFD page isn't the only eligible singles account I've come across. Other dating-adjacent pages include missed connections accounts like "Missed You NYC," which posts monthly roundups of submissions they've received. There are also dating content channels like Street Heartsa short-form video series run by Fallen Media starring dating coach Tiffany Baira.
And I've even seen someone who has made a dedicated dating Instagram profile, complete with a Google Forms link and paid advertising strategy.
‘You get to see more of who a person is’: How Instagram became the hottest new dating app
That's where Instagram comes in, where you can flirt by simply "hearting someone's photo on their story" and can tell "if someone likes you if they're the first one that sees your photo," Baira added. Meanwhile, Instagram is continuing to build out features that could make flirting even easier.
Earlier this month, it launched comments on stories that people can and will most likely use to publicly signal their interest in someone or find another excuse to DM them.
Instagram's notes feature, too, has gotten an overhaul this year with notes now appearing on in-feed posts yet again, another prompt to DM your crush.
Related stories
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification. Home Newsletters. Dating Bradley.
Share icon An curved arrow pointing right. Share Facebook Icon The letter F. Facebook Email icon An envelope. It indicates the ability to send an email. Email Twitter icon A stylized bird with an open mouth, tweeting. It symobilizes a website link url. App Link lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.
Facebook Dating Launches In The US
Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. Have you ever found love on Instagram? Instagram features like stories and DMs have become tools for online dating. Content creators like Serena Kerrigan are leveraging Instagram to connect singles.
Read preview. Thanks for signing up! Go to newsletter preferences.
Online Dating
Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Email address. Sign up. You can opt-out at any article source by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. Related stories. Read next.