“Why am I using LinkedIn as a dating app? Because of the filters! ”She says in a viral video, with more than two million views on TikTok, the British Candice Gallagher. On her account, Gallagher documents her experiences trying ten different dating apps in ten weeks. One of them, the professional social network LinkedIn.
To the surprise of one of his almost 60,000 followers for having chosen this app for his "experiment", Gallagher explains in one of his 'selfie videos' why LinkedIn has entered his "list" of dating apps to try. “One, because I can filter by education…MBA, girl!; two, I can filter by industry...if I'm looking for a doctor, a lawyer, a finance 'bro': three, I can filter by country, very important. Unfortunately, I can't filter by height…but at least there are very good photos,” she says.
Are more and more people using LinkedIn in a way other than what it was intended for? Does this app serve to create connections beyond the professional?
“Erika Hämmerle has viewed your profile,” LinkedIn told Ana (28) in a notification. She had just arrived to live in Barcelona, for a job opportunity, and was looking for new friends. When she entered Erika's profile, she saw that she was a winemaker, that she worked in the same sector as her and that she lived in the same city. Without thinking much, she texted him: “Hey, I know this is a professional network, but I saw that you've seen my profile. I also work in the wine world, I live in Barcelona and I still don't know many people here. If you want, one day we can meet to taste some wines.”
“For me he was an angel fallen from heaven,” says Erika (27). She was also newly arrived in the city and everything she could see in Ana's profile resonated with her. “Wine is my passion and I need to surround myself with people who enjoy this drink as much as I do,” she explains. At first, she was afraid that it was a fake profile. On the way to her first 'friend date', she sent her partner her active real-time location and she was going to let him know by messages where and how she was. “From the moment I saw it, the rest is history. Today she is one of my best friends,” says Erika and points out: “I love that LinkedIn unites people from the same field and with shared passions.”
What happens when you seek to go beyond a friendship? Can LinkedIn become a new dating app? “Although it is not the main purpose of LinkedIn, the use of the platform for romantic purposes can be considered an emerging trend,” says social media specialist Rocío Roncero, although she clarifies that “it is likely to be practiced by a relatively small percentage of users.” ”. She is very clear: “I am not betting on the future of LinkedIn as ‘the new Tinder’.”
“I think that in recent years we have experienced an evolution on LinkedIn and it is difficult to predict what will happen,” says Francisco Fernández Yuste, Human Resources professional, Career Counselor and creator of the brand Mejora Tu Éxito Laboral, and adds: “While it is It is true that it has always been the main networking network, the content is increasingly personal and even sometimes, certain people use their physical image in a similar way to other social networks. This change in trend makes people think that the personal and the work go more hand in hand than it seems.”
For couples therapist Marta Ramo, “LinkedIn has evolved from simply being a platform to look for jobs and make professional contacts to becoming a space where people also look for personal relationships. This is due in part to the platform's expanded features, which now include options to display personal interests, share non-work-related posts, and connect with people outside of the professional sphere.”
As the psychologist observes, “unlike traditional dating apps like Tinder, where the main focus is physical attraction and superficial connections, LinkedIn offers the opportunity to establish relationships based on shared interests, professional goals and intellectual affinities. For some people, this may be more attractive and meaningful than the superficial interactions found on conventional dating apps.”
“It is plausible that some people see LinkedIn as an opportunity to pursue romantic relationships due to its nature as a social network, which allows people to establish connections with people with similar interests and career paths. The reasons may vary, from the convenience of having broad access to people with certain educational or professional levels, to the perception that it is a less superficial platform than other social networks,” says Rocío Roncero.
According to the expert, “it is common for social networks to evolve and be used in ways that go beyond their original purpose.” A very clear example of this, she points out, is Instagram: “Initially it was created as a platform to share photos, but now its use goes much further: there is no entrepreneur or business that is not on this network.” For her, “this diversification of uses reflects the network's capacity for adaptation and the creativity of users in taking advantage of the available tools to satisfy their changing needs.”
But is LinkedIn the right medium for flirting? “I would not recommend using LinkedIn to connect beyond a professional level. Our LinkedIn profile is our personal brand and this network is not designed to flirt or find a partner,” says HR expert Francisco Fernández Yuste and adds: “I think using this alternative to flirt instead of other platforms is a major mistake because the negative impact it can have not only on your image and professionalism but also on the reputation of your company or current project.”
For him, it is not the most appropriate context. “In a nightclub, the fact that someone approaches you and wants to meet you is something more normalized than if you are riding the subway on your way to work. Something similar happens with LinkedIn, the behaviors of going beyond the professional would not fall within what is expected of this network," he says, although he clarifies: "Another different situation is that you can create a more intimate relationship after devirtualizing a person. or share that professional part with her. "I have established very good friendships through LinkedIn after connecting beyond the professional."
Although LinkedIn can draw connections more closely linked to one's interests and passions, its use for flirting also “raises legitimate concerns about privacy and consent,” says psychologist Marta Ramo. “Unlike dating apps, where people are explicitly present for the purpose of finding a partner, on LinkedIn users can feel invaded when someone tries to start a romantic or sexual relationship without their explicit consent,” says the expert and clarifies: “Attempting to flirt through LinkedIn without the other person's consent can be considered a form of harassment, and you may experience stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health problems as a result of these traumatic experiences.”
Social media specialist Rocío Roncero experienced it firsthand. “Personally, I have come across the occasional private message that is ‘out of place’ from someone I don't know, but who is part of my network. Subtle messages seeking to establish personal contact. It plays with ambiguity, an approach as a “colleague by profession” but seeking “you to you” outside the network,” she explains.
“Hello, how are you? How pretty you are,” a man who followed her on LinkedIn wrote to Rita Sorogastúa Barrezueta (34). “He wrote to me as a flirt and I had to tell him that those messages were out of place, explain to him that this is a professional network,” he says and points out: “It is a waste of time that there is this misuse of LinkedIn, because it is a social network.” "It has allowed me to network with other professional women and connect with other people who want to add value."
Katerina Danezi works in the health sector. “At the beginning of my career, I was very excited about the networking opportunities that LinkedIn offered me. I received a connection request from a guy who seemed to be in the same field and share my interests. When I accepted, he contacted me directly to thank me and ask details about me, where I lived, etc., and he congratulated me on my achievements. I was under the impression that it was a professional conversation until he started asking me what I was looking for on LinkedIn and if I would be open to meeting someone romantically there,” she recalls, noting: “I felt frustrated and politely told him that I am only interested in using LinkedIn as a professional tool.”
But the conversation didn't end there. “She started insisting that she looked pretty in the photo and that she believed she should give it a chance, emphasizing that we had common professional interests. Again, I told him I wasn't interested," explains Danezi, indicating that "that's when he started getting angry, telling me horrible things, that women today aren't open to anything, that I should be grateful that a smart guy as he approached me and that acting like that with men would get me nowhere in life. She said it aggressively. All courtesy and interest disappeared. “I felt invaded and blocked it.”
“Being the target of unwanted messages or romantic advances can make people feel uncomfortable, vulnerable, or insecure about their personal and professional value,” explains therapist Marta Ramo. In her psychology consultation, she approaches these types of behaviors from a perspective of respect for personal boundaries and mutual consent in social and romantic interactions. “I work with patients to explore their underlying motivations, help them understand healthy boundaries in relationships, and develop more effective communication skills,” she says.
“I have gotten a job through LinkedIn and I think it is a super powerful tool,” says Kathya N., a 35-year-old marketing expert, while clarifying that it has also been a means through which she received inappropriate messages. LinkedIn was the only open avenue that a man who digitally harassed her found to write to her. “I had already eliminated all types of communication channels with him. So, he contacts me on LinkedIn,” explains Kathya.
The same thing happened with an ex-partner: “The relationship ended on bad terms. I blocked him from WhatsApp, from Facebook, from Instagram, from all the media… but of course, it never occurred to me that he was going to write to me on LinkedIn,” she says. For her, “there should be some way to be able to report these types of messages and for companies to know what the person they are hiring is really like.”
“LinkedIn is the professional network par excellence. We are all 'very professional', we applaud success, and we support those who need to give visibility to their professional profile to find employment. When we receive an inappropriate or unwanted message, it throws us off, much more than receiving it on any other social network,” says social media expert Rocío Roncero and clarifies that “LinkedIn has mechanisms to report and block users. “If you receive such messages, it is recommended to first block the sender and then report the content through LinkedIn’s reporting option.”
