Getting invested in a stranger’s love life is par for the course in our reality TV-obsessed world. But lately, that’s reached new heights. “Date with me” TikTok dating diaries have taken off, in which viewers follow the ups and downs of an average person’s dating life. People are broadcasting date prep, and posting updates about how burgeoning relationships are going—sometimes even mid-date! Some creators go as far as to live-stream breakups. The phenomenon has become so captivating that Bumble declared “Date with me” a top dating trend for 2025.
Experts in This Article
couples therapist and owner of Healing Connections
Some creators have generated a whole social media presence around their dating endeavors. Hannah Zaslawski amassed 130,000 followers as she fulfilled her pledge to go on 50 first dates and document them all. Others go viral for one-off moments—like when TikTok creator @xoelsb, who goes by the moniker XO, shared her experience of getting ditched mid-date for supposedly ordering too much food. The video got hundreds of thousands of views and generated debate about dating etiquette across the internet.
Dating in 2025 will be all about ‘transparency’
Every year, Bumble surveys its users to gain insights about what’s on their minds, and in their hearts. For 2025, Bumble says its survey results of over 40,000 users indicate that, overall, “transparency” is important to users, and many are “relying on their social circles to help them navigate the dating landscape.”
“Date with me” content might be partially behind these broader trends. Behind-the-scenes looks into a TikTok creator’s romantic journey can show what it’s like out there. According to Bumble’s data, 42 percent of the surveyed women say “dating with me” content makes them feel less self-conscious and lonely, while a third say, “realistic, positive dating content makes them feel hopeful about their own love lives.”
In this way, “date with me” content provides a service for followers. But it could also normalize sharing our love lives on social—a tendency relationship therapists advise thinking twice about.
A therapist’s guide to (healthy) romantic posting
Therapists don’t think posting about your love life should be off limits. However, doing so adds another ingredient to the alchemy of dating, so proceed with caution.
“Broadcasting the dating experience online can sometimes lead to insecurities and trust issues,” relationship counselor Genesis Games, LMFT, tells W+G. If you’re posting about a romantic prospect as you’re both trying to figure out whether you like each other, adding in the element of social media can make people feel self-conscious or even used. “This doesn’t mean you can’t share aspects of your dating life on social media, but it’s essential to be intentional about what and how you share,” Games advises.
Additionally, it could add some uninvited guests to the party. While you’re attempting to forge a one-on-one connection, you could be unwittingly making your audience a third party in your new relationship.
“At the end of the day, your partner wants to date you—not you and your followers,” Games says. “Ensuring your relationship feels private and secure can help foster trust and connection.”
If you’re planning to post about your love life on social media, Games urges you to be upfront about that. Transparency is a 2025 dating virtue, after all. And it might even have a romantic upside since, “ultimately, prioritizing open communication and mutual respect will strengthen your connection,” Games says.
If this all sounds outrageous to you, we get it. Dating is such a vulnerable undertaking. Why on earth would you want to invite the world in? But the reality is that social media plays a significant role in our lives—and our love lives are no exception.
“Social media is far from a trivial matter in today’s world—it plays a significant role in how many people connect, communicate, and even make a living,” Games says. “Discussing it openly ensures that boundaries and expectations are clear, helping to avoid potential misunderstandings and fostering a healthy, respectful relationship.”
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