[imagesource:gencraftai]

LinkedIn has never and will never be advertised as a dating app, and yet, thousands of people are finding their love interests on the job website.

The platform is punted as the place to manage your professional identity, build and engage with your professional network, and access knowledge, insights and opportunities. Meanwhile, many people are choosing to use it to manage their dating preferences, engage with their ideal type and access little-known opportunities for love.

New findings from DatingNews.com showed that LinkedIn has played an unexpected role in modern dating, and is even preferred to dating sites in the US, according to the New York Post.

I guess there is a wholesome way to mix business with pleasure:

It turns out that 61% of respondents aged 35 to 40 have landed dates on the networking app, with those living in San Antonio, Texas (71%), doing so more than anywhere else in the country.

This trend contributes to 52% of all respondents aged 20 to 40, even though the site isn’t at all intended for dating.

According to the survey, most people are using networking sites and social media to meet potential dates, with 52% of guys, 51% of gals, and 52% of non-binary folks scoring a date through these channels.

However, some people reckon this can come across badly:

“Of course, it’s worth mentioning that LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram aren’t dating apps, so it’s important that you don’t intentionally add someone just to flirt with them,” the survey authors noted. “In fact, many people will be against this and will not welcome flirting they haven’t encouraged.”

The numbers from the survey suggest that taking a chance on a professional networking site might be worth it, but interestingly enough, other professional environments don’t seem to be as popular.

Just 30% of those surveyed mentioned snagging a date at a work function or business event. Seems like whether it’s because of remote work or just the ease of online dating, these folks are finding more luck on the internet. And LinkedIn isn’t the only unusual app people are using to find a potential partner these days.

About one out of five (21%) respondents said they use non-dating apps for meeting people, such as the language-learning app Duolingo (24%) or a fitness app (33%). The low-stakes environment with less competition to stand out as a hot date clearly works.

“Naturally, no one joins a language learning app to find a date. But the numbers demonstrate that we often click with people when we least expect it. Again, maintaining an open mind is key,” the authors wrote.

Don’t worry, the traditional dating apps are still a thing. A little less than half (45%) of respondents said they’ve used a dating site like OKCupid to find a date, with females (46%) using them more than males (42%).

However, younger daters tend to use dating sites less, with just 33% of 20- to 24-year-olds saying they’ve used dating sites compared to half of those between 35 and 40 years old.

This age disparity might have more to do with the fact that one has to pay to upgrade to a premium package nowadays and younger people might want to put their money elsewhere.

You might want to scratch up your LinkedIn profile picture.

[source:nypost]