Handbook DIGITAL FLIRTING
Now that you can be reached in countless ways at any moment of the day, there are also countless ways to flirt at any moment of the day. Digitally, that is. Whatsapp, sms, email (business and personal), Tinder (duh), Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify (yes really), LinkedIn, and even your banking app is not safe from flirting. This of course creates quite a hassle and there are also unwritten rules, do's and don'ts, and tips and tricks here, so the editorial team got together and created The Great Handbook of Digital Flirting. Here we go.
No place where so much flirting can happen as on Facebook. You can ‘poke’ each other, but actually, no one does that because it's weird and even a bit creepy for Facebook standards. Better to like an old photo of the Flirt Object (FO) to show that you're thinking of that person. Or, under an old photo where you both appear, add an insiders-only joke. Of course, you like every photo that the FO posts because liking = liking. Also fun, tagging the name of the FO in a viral video or photo. Facebook's chat function is of course the mecca of flirting; unfaithful men find their solace here to chat ‘casually’ for nights on end with an extramarital FO because, well, Facebook supposedly doesn't count, and potential dates are formed here..
The big downside of liking old photos of the FO on Facebook is that in principle all your friends can see that, which makes digital flirting quite public. Enter Instagram. Here you can like everything and respond to everything to your heart's content because you don't have a network where everyone sees everything all the time. Okay, in theory, you can see what the people you follow like in your mentions on the ‘following’ tab, but really no one (except for a few, I won't name names) does that. So, like and comment on everything that comes your way, no one will see it. Also here, scroll back a bit on the FO's page and show that you are thinking of her/him..
On Twitter, there is also a lot of flirting to be done. Responding is a bit less visible (only people who both follow you can see what you respond) and therefore safer. If the FO posts a tweet that you completely agree with or find very nice, then you retweet it. Don't favorite, favoriting is the biggest turn-off there is. With favorite, you say, “yeah hm pretty nice but definitely not nice enough.” Or, as columnist Carlye Wisel puts it, “favoriting is the online equivalent of seeing someone at a party, doing that little ‘what up’ nod, and never actually going over to say hello.”
A personal favorite. Especially during office hours, because endlessly being on your phone will eventually catch your boss's attention (hi May, could you stop reading now?). Emailing is much subtler because you can do it comfortably from your computer. Additionally, you can be a bit more verbose and it's easier to send links to fun pages or articles. It's especially fun to email each other's business email addresses and then always put something very boring and businesslike in the subject line (“discussion budget Q4 2014”) and then in the actual email, something very, well, not businesslike and semi-erotic.
Whatsapp cannot be missing from this list, but to avoid repetition, I would like to refer you to our big Whatsapp Regulations.
Tinder
Tinder is quite over and what is still to be found on it is pretty sad. But sometimes, very rarely, you suddenly come across a nice person and then it becomes quite exciting again. When do you switch to Whatsapp? Who says hello first? When Tinder was still hot, we wrote a guide about it and you can read it here, so if you still want to give it a chance, take advantage of it.
LinkedIn is of course the most boring thing you can find on the internet and the only time you even look at it is when you've already seen everything on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (admit it). But LinkedIn has one fun feature that makes it quite suitable for flirting, namely that you can see who has viewed your profile. So just take a look at the FO's profile and leave a small digital flirt there.
Spotify
Spotify also has an inbox function and it's ideal for sending music to each other with suggestive meanings. So huge club music if your message is that you want to dance together until dawn, and just sultry 90s r&b to get into the bedroom mood..
Banking app
Borrowed money from FO? Decided to split a bill? Lost a bet? Whatever it is, in the description of your transfer, you can leave a nice little sweet note. “Here’s half of the best dinner ever.” I don't know, but be creative because this is a place where you wouldn't expect a flirt and thus it comes across extra nicely.
Happy flirting!
