Emily Chan
We’re all guilty of doing a little internet stalking when we want to see what a new crush is up to. While it might be normal to click through a few recent posts, your check-in can become problematic when it turns into “freeclimbing.”
This dating trend involves doing a deep dive into the online history of a person you are romantically interested in.
According to a 2021 study from Avast, 50 percent of people who use online dating services research their dates before meeting up with them for the first time. Since this such a regular occurrence, it’s definitely worth combing through your social media accounts to know what you’re putting out there for people to see.
Even though the act of lurking through a dating prospect’s past is common, many people still don’t turn on the privacy settings for their social media accounts. According to a survey conducted by Viasat, nearly 50 percent of people choose to keep their accounts public. No wonder freeclimbing is so normal!
However, going backward through your love interest’s history has the potential to be dangerous. Don’t worry; it’s nothing life-threatening, but the embarrassment you will feel when you accidentally reveal a tidbit of information you shouldn’t know will make you think that it is so. The further back you scroll, the easier it is to let it slip that you’ve been snooping around.
Perhaps you’ve finally landed a first date with your crush, and in your eagerness to connect with him, you blurt out a detail about a family vacation he took, earning a suspicious stare from them.
Or it might happen while you’re browsing through photos of a cousin’s wedding from five years ago, and your thumb accidentally double-taps or hits the “like” button, sending your crush a notification that you’ve been poking around his page.
The worst part is that you can’t take it back. The damage has already been done. There’s no coming back from that one. Aside from the humiliation that might occur, freeclimbing can also put preconceived notions into your head and give you misconceptions about the true nature of your potential partner.
To start your relationship off on a good note and give it a better chance of success, you should avoid freeclimbing before a first date. If you engage in freeclimbing, you might find information that immediately turns you off.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
