How To Use Your Instagram To Get a Date

Ever had an "Instagram crush" on someone? Whether you're aware of it or not, your #tbts and #nofilters say a lot about you, things a future significant other would want to know — and now there's a way to find love with the help of your favorite Instagram pics. San Francisco based magazine The Bold Italic recently spotlighted a new dating app called Glimpse, which dares to ask, “Does your Instagram say more about you than your dating profile?”

I know what you’re thinking. Not another dating app! Groan. Well, Glimpse is kind of different. The app teamed up with Instagram to help you put yourself out there in much a less creepy way: through your beautifully filtered selfies and beach pictures (or whatever you're into). It’s basically an edited version of your Instagram account, but instead of bragging and sharing, you’re dating. Confused? Well, I tried it out to see exactly what's happening over there on Glimpse.

Here’s the rundown: after creating a username, requesting an invitation, and even anonymously inviting a crush (if you choose to), you’ll get the confirmation to join. Then it gets fun. First, you’ll connect your Glimpse account to your Instagram account. You can choose your profile picture and select a few images you want future viewers to see (and by viewers, I mean potential people you’d want to take kissing selfies with).

Next, you’ll fill out a little information about yourself — a little information, not the requisite three pages of the usual arduous questions synonymous with dating sites (life story, sign, etc.). I’m talking, name, sex, age, and sexual orientation — that's it. Bam. You’re ready to Glimpse. From there, simply scroll around and look at other people’s photos/profiles. If you like someone, you can “smile” at them, and wait for the ones and zeros version of "sparks" to fly.

Sure, you could just follow someone on Instagram, “like” their photos to death, and hope that someday they’ll notice. That’s a pretty tricky method of getting with someone, considering the app is more for sharing than landing a long time brunch partner. Glimpse allows you to literally let someone know you “like them in that way” while also showing off a more tailored version of your Instagram self — one that doesn’t involve over-documented happy hours or #nomakeup selfies (unless you’re that perfect). Because that's what the beginning stages of dating are all about anyway: showing off a tailored (and more groomed) version of you.

It also compares pretty well to other dating apps. When you think about it, the idea of sharing tastefully filtered photos of French toast and maybe an outfit I wore last Thursday sounds much better than “searching for a soul mate” or “finding tonight’s hook up.” Obviously different apps suit different people, this one is definitely for the visually inclined (so most Millennials).

Yes, dating apps and sites in general can be pretty weird, but whether we like it or not, self branding is the way of the future. It's how we socialize, how we connect, and how we meet each other. People have even fallen in love and gotten married just because they liked each other's #selfies so much. Perhaps Glimpse is on to something here...