What Sliding into DMs Mean in 2024

Everyone's on social media and everybody falls in love.

Well into the year 2024, dating sites are still going strong and so are the plethora of social media platforms out there. As some kind of fusion between those two realms, we've also got a phrase that everybody is surely familiar with: sliding into DMs.

For the rare person out there who doesn't know what that means, it involves sending another person a direct romantic message on their social media profile. It is bold and as in-your-face as anything online can be.

It makes sense why people still make a big deal out of it to this day. But is sliding into your crush's DMs still the same as it was a decade ago? What does it mean to do so in a post-pandemic 2024?

The More Things Change, the More they Stay the Same

Where there is a will, there is a way.

Interested parties will always be on the lookout for opportunities with those they like. Even if there are dating apps and sites available, should someone cute pop up on their social media feed, you can bet that the urge to slide into that someone's DM will pop up.

That's how it's always been and that's how it always will be. The plethora of options today are nothing more than different flavored means to one end: getting together with whoever it is that might have caught your attention.

People will always shoot their shot whenever and wherever it pleases them.

The Evolution of Tactics

What has–and will continuously–change are the methods surrounding DM-sliding.

But why, you ask? If it's as simple as sending a message, what other methods could there be? Well, for those who aren't bold enough to drop a message cold, there have always been ways to build up to it.

In fact, just sending a friend or follow request can be seen as a vital first step. From there, one can gauge interest in posting stories, statuses, and pictures. Viewing stories and reacting to them in kind can be part of the build up, too.

If there's enough assurance that she's interested enough, that's usually when the DM-sliding comes into play. The objective may stay the same, but the strategies and tactics involved are always in flux.

What people do in 2024 differs from what was being done in 2014, and it won't be the same as what will be done in 2034.

The Bottom Line

Those who develop an instant attraction towards someone will want to shoot their shot. They could find someone hot through a dating profile's main photo or they might have seen this person across a crowded room but wasn't able to link up in person. Hence, the need for sliding into DMs.

No matter what year it is, what means are available, and what's actually being said or done, the end goal is always the same. The heart wants what it wants, so don't be shy. Don't think of yourself as someone too old or too classy to send that special someone a message on their socials.

If you like someone, make it known.