Little Clues On Instagram You Might Overlook That Mean Someone’s Single
Let's be real, we all love to creep. Once we meet a new person and they accept our follow on Instagram, we immediately get to work figuring out all the ins and outs of their lives. How was their Cabo 2018? Did they or did they not graduate from Yale? And most importantly, what is their relationship status?
Because whether or not it makes a difference in your life if they are, you just want to know whether Brad from Lexington worked out or not over their second semester at college. Here's how to suss out if they're single.
There's A Lack Of "Couple" Photos
Now, we're living in modern days here people, so you can't just go around assuming a pic with a woman and a man means they're dating. You gotta work a little harder than that. If their Instagram is lacking any "coupley" photos—your Christmas market, skating in the park, pumpkin patch trip ooey-gooey heartwarming "say cheese" moments, then they might be on the market.
One Person Isn't Consistently Commenting On Their Photos
Part of being in a relationship is hyping each other up unconditionally—that means being loud and vocal in the Instagram comments about how HOT AND BEAUTIFUL your partner looks. Watch out for a pattern of the same person doing this, because that might be a hint they're in a relationship.
They're Riding Solo In The Profile Pic
Even though it's not the be-all and end-all of signs someone's in a relationship, a lot of couples have each other in that tiny little circle in the upper left. So if you're squinting and you think you can see two tiny little people at the beach in the pic you could be looking at a bonafide couple.
They're Always Out For Dinner
Based on their Instagram stories, they're always out for dinner with that one particular person—last night it was Thai, today it's Mexican, and tomorrow you'd bet money it's Italian. Unless they're running a food blog account, they're definitely dating this person. Just—how do they afford to eat out so often?
They've Hopped On The MCM Or WCW Tag
You don't have to be dating to want to shout out your friends and tell them they look like supa-hot-fire today, but you have to consider someone might be dating if they've tagged a #MCM or #WCW more than once. Especially if it's every week. Like we get it, it's Monday and Wednesday and you're dating now please stop.
Single People Will Quote Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" And That's Just Science
If they're posting a bunch of song lyrics on their Insta story it either means they've discovered music for the first time in their life or they're going through some real crap that only Taylor Swift's "22" can heal. Watch out for those anthems that really speak to them because they're hard evidence that person is single.
Their Social Life Orbits Their Home
Let's be real, couples like nothing more than to cuddle up on the couch and eat some takeout on a Saturday. Which is fine, obviously. If the person you're creeping likes posting Instagram stories of them out on the town, they might very well be single or maybe in a long-distance relationship.
Photo Cred Goes To The Same Person
Nestled right in that caption about avocado toast being the best thing on the planet under a photo of them at brunch are a tiny little camera emoji and a tag for someone named Jeff. And he gets photo credits for quite a few of their photos. Now, this person is either medically attached to Jeff or he's their boyfriend and therefore the designated photo-taker.
You're Seeing Thirst Traps
A thirst trap, for those of you who maybe don't know, is a steamy selfie or pic that shows a copious amount of skin and definitely makes you pause scrolling for a second. Body positivity doesn't always mean single and looking to mingle, but it might be a technique they're using to get a cheeky little DM or two.
Check Their Meme Tags
Even though DMing memes is the new thing, people still like to tag others in comments on photos that they want them to see. If you're seeing that they're constantly tagging the same person in the same Middle Class Fancy memes then you might be looking at their partner. Or a dedicated fan of suburban meme content.
Check Who's The First In Line To Like Their Pic
This little trick only works if you're one of the first people to see their picture when it's posted, because Instagram now organizes (bleh) the likes according to accounts you're most engaged with. So if you're one of the lucky few first-likers, go in and check who else quickly liked it. One of those people might be someone with post-notifications turned on (which a significant other would have).
There's No "04.17.2018" In Their Bio
Some couples like to put their anniversary date right in their profile to let the world know they're spoken for since whatever weird Roman numeral is there. We get it, you can use a calendar. Be careful though, because that vague date might also be the day their dog died so you don't want to go right ahead and ask about it because Sparky's long battle with diabetes might be a tender topic.
They're Not Frequent Posters Until...
Not to say that single people use Instagram more, but if they're adding thirst traps to their posting schedules they're going to be slightly more active. If you notice that the person you're creeping didn't post a whole lot but now suddenly they're posting twice a day like it's their day job, they could be newly single.
You'll Hear About It If It's #Girlsnight And #Guysnight
When you're out of a long relationship, all you want to do is reconnect with the guy and gal pals who have supported you through it all. That means posting about your #girlsnight or #guysnight all over social media to let everyone know you are in fact 1) fine 2) thriving 3) and not going to have a breakdown over your breakup.
There Are Some Major Gaps
You know the old saying "mind the gap?" Well, don't in this case. If there are some significant gaps in their characteristically regular posting schedule (once a week), and suddenly their feed goes from November 2016 to March 2017, there might be some puzzle pieces missing. And they're in the shape of photos with a certain someone who they're no longer seeing.
They're Lonely And They're Not Afraid To Show It With An Anime Screenshot
Instagram stories of screenshots of aesthetic 90s anime quotes like "I eat my feelings" under Sailor Moon's face, or Pikachu sitting on a bed with the caption "alone, again" always mean someone's going through a breakup. Always. They're listening to some John Mayer and just vibing with how hard it must be to be themselves... and Pika.
They're Suddenly Adventurous
Not that couples aren't adventurous, but if you're noticing that the person you're creeping all of a sudden has a lot of solo posts captioned #wanderlust or #findyourself, then they might be trying to distance themselves from the ol' stay-at-home-relationshipped up self they used to be.
There Is Some Lowkey Shade Being Thrown
Not to generalize, actually no, I'm definitely generalizing, but if you're posting long rants on social media about how people suck and subtly-not-so-subtly calling out someone "leaving your life" then it's pretty clear to the whole world you've gone through a breakup.
Check The Background Of Their Photos
It doesn't even have to be a couple's pic that tips you off that they may be in a relationship. Really just look for any surroundings that would make sense only if you were a couple to go to. I'm talking a selfie on a sunset beach, a selfie of a picnic, and honestly really anything that just screams "I'm taking this pic alone but honey, I'm not alone here."
They've Got A Couple's Instagram
I mean... this is an obvious one. But if you're operating under the delusion that "Cam & Chris's" Instagram is just a couple platonic friends and not a couple one, then you need to snap out of it. They're posing in front of their Christmas tree in the profile pic for crying out loud.
