Let’s face it, the internet is a terrifying place. From social media to online dating, it really can be a minefield out there at times.
So what would you say if I told you the two were merging and you can now ‘match’ with people you fancy on social media – in particular Facebook? Even more worrying, you can now find out which of your friends fancies you.
It’s all part of the relatively new Facebook Dating, which is currently only available in five countries but has already proven popular among those who use it.
As reported by The Verge, the app has now launched a new feature which lets you express an interest in up to nine friends.
Called ‘Secret Crush,’ the feature allows you to see which of your friends might be romantically interested in you; if the friend has Facebook Dating and likes you back, they’ll get a notification saying someone likes them.
If they pick you as one of their secret crushes too, you’ll both get notified and voila! It’s like a modern-day social media-inspired fairy tale (kind of).
If you haven’t created a Dating profile though, you won’t be able to add anyone who hasn’t created one, the social networking site has confirmed. In other words, you won’t be able to see if your friends secretly fancy you unless you have a profile.
So if you have a sneaky feeling that some of your friends might be harbouring feelings for you, what better way to find out than creating a profile?! It’s perfect for the nosy people out there.
Unlike Tinder, which requires you to swipe on potential love-interests, Facebook Dating closely resembles Hinge as users are asked to answer questions and comment on people’s photos and profiles.
Moving away from Hinge slightly, Facebook Dating integrates with the social networking site by making use of Facebook groups and events, encouraging users to leave their screens once in a while and meet up in real life.
Currently, Facebook Dating is available to users aged 18 and over and is a part of Facebook’s mobile app. It’s free and has no ads or paid features.
If you opt in, you’ll be asked to create a separate dating profile which is slightly different to your normal one in that it contains a much more limited amount of personal information on it.
It’s yet to be seen whether this will be able to compete with other dating apps, but the future is certainly looking Facebook.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).