Today we're bombarded with likes, posts and requests. Tag him, tag her, check in here, block that ex and definitely add that guy from the gym.
It's a familiar cycle for the modern girl, with over 64 per cent of us on Facebook, 64 billon posts uploaded to Instagram every 24 hours and 800 million swipes a day on Tinder.
While these apps have been great for things like... well for procrastinating and declining your aunty's Farmville invites, they've made way for a whole new league of messages to decipher in the dating game.
So what does it mean when he's still got those photos of him and his ex on his page? Should you date a guy with more mirror selfies than you? How do you go about dating a guy you met on Tinder?
Right now it seems as though Tinder and Instagram are the front-runners as far as relationship and fling sparkers are concerned. They come with their own set of socially acceptable behaviours that many of us are yet to learn.
So in this day and age, what should the single girls of the world know about the modern dating game?
Tinder
We've heard those stories about that girl who went on a date with a guy she met online and was never heard from ever again. So what's the safest approach when that guy on Tinder asks to meet up?Do's
• Tell a friend who you're going with, where you're going, what time you're going and arrange a certain time during and after the date where you'll text her that you're still alive.• Meet in a public place or tell them when you're going out and where and arrange a time to meet up. That way, you won't be obligated to spend too much time with them.
• Try and find out more about them like where they went to school, anything that could bring up possible mutual friends so you can ask them more about the guy.
Dont's
• Don't accept his offer to 'come over and watch movies' if you're looking for a serious relationship.• Don't stalk his other social media too much, save some of the questions for the date.
• If you haven’t abided by the above, at least stay away from his MySpace and Bebo. Seriously. Like dating wasn't hard enough before...
It's not a good sign if...
• He follows more random girls than he has followers.
• He still has photos of him and his ex in the first page
• He has photos with his girlfriend. Stay away.
• His photos are all selfies. I'm all about self-love, but seriously.
• He's liking every photo uploaded by Victoria Secret-type girls. Get a grip on reality, you're not cool because you have a conformist view on beauty... you're no George Clooney.
Give him a follow if...
• You can see you have mutual interests. You like AFL, he plays AFL, he has green eyes, you drive a hybrid. Destiny? I think yes. Just go for it. Like a few of his photos and assess what kind of response you get.
• He has a big 'happy birthday mum' post divulging how much he loves his mum. That's always a good sign... provided he doesn't also have a fixation on ‘Psycho’.
• If you want to. Ultimately it's your decision. Sometimes social media can be deceiving. Generally personal accounts are all about selective representation of your 'front' selves. Refer to Goffman's theories if you're desperate for entertainment.
As much as we don't like to admit it, relationships don't always work out. Whether it be someone cheating or moving away or it's reached that point where you don't make each other as happy as you used to, it's important to stay away from slandering him and his rebounds and rather, to behave in a dignified way.
So here's the end of relationship online don'ts.
1. Don't make statuses about your ex. “Really, you cheated on me with that?”... it gets you nowhere and makes you look like the immature one. It's his fault, don't drag her into it if she didn't even know.
2. Set your change of relationship status to private. Don't make a scene of it, it's not a competition to see whose change gets more likes.
3. Don't rush the healing process. Hooking up with some random sending SnapChats of you in their bed isn't going to help.
4. Probably stop liking his mum's posts.
5. Grinding on other guys at the club tactically to make it into the background of club photos or in your ex's view in general is so high-school. Need I say more?
6. Don't check his Facebook daily. Sussing out every girl that likes his profile photo doesn't achieve anything.
7. Really consider blocking and deleting him if you don't have plans to stay friends. As more social media sites emerge there's bound to be an ever-evolving list of do's and dont's for the single girl seeking a male companion.
