Man wonders why women post this detail in their online dating bio

A man asked the internet why so many women on dating apps include their Instagram handle in their bio.

The man took to Reddit’s “Dating Advice” forum to ask whether he should be messaging these women on Instagram — and why women were including their Instagram handle in their dating app profiles in the first place. (While he was asking specifically about women, it’s not only women who do this.)

“Women on Tinder, when your Insta is in your bio, do you want guys to just message straight up even if we haven’t matched?” the author asks. “[It] feels a bit weird to me to just DM a girl out the blue because you saw her Insta on her Tinder bio before you even matched.”

He goes on to ask why women would include their Instagram handle if they only want messages from matches, since everyone, including non-matches, can see that information. 

“If you only wanted guys you matched with to message, why put [your handle] in your bio in the first place?” he asks. “My assumption is that girls do it because they don’t use Tinder that often, but I don’t know.”

It’s the followers, some Redditors say

Readers overwhelmingly responded that they believe people who include their social handles on dating apps are simply looking to increase their followers.

“I think most people that do that just want more followers on Instagram,” one Redditor wrote.

Other readers wrote that they are hesitant to message people on Instagram because they assume they’ll be ignored. 

“I figure they won’t appreciate random messages from me so I just ignore it,” one Redditor wrote. 

Still other Redditors wrote that they included their handles to prove they’re not “catfishing.”

“I have linked my IG before just to show pictures that I’m not catfishing anyone and my hobbies lol,” one Redditor wrote.

“I also had it linked but it was so they had access to a few more pics and were able to get better insight on me,” another Redditor explained.

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