Have you heard of PowerPoint parties? There are lots of variations from kids proposing Christmas presents to their parents to friends dunking on each other using PowerPoint formats.
Now, though, singles on TikTok are inviting us to their own PowerPoint parties with the ‘dating wrapped’ trend. In this, singles give us a breakdown of their year in dating. The people they met, the experiences they had and where they are now, all broken down into digestible slides for our entertainment.
This is the year that Tinder was described as being “for the plot” so it’s not surprising that this approach to storytelling has taken off on the social media app but is it healthy?
Should we be joining trends like ‘dating wrapped’?
Of course, this is a very fun trend and we can’t get enough of learning about people’s dating lives via aesthetically-pleasing slides, but is it actually healthy to do this so publicly? And what does it tell potential future partners about us?
HuffPost UK spoke to Emma Hathorn, in-house dating expert at luxury dating site Seeking.com about the trend and to find out whether it’s something we should be joining in with.
She believes that it’s not inherently harmful but we should still proceed with caution. She said, “while ‘Dating Wrapped’ offers a playful and engaging way to share our romantic experiences, there’s a subtle risk involved.”
“Sharing specifics like the number of times you’ve been ghosted might make a potential partner second guess you, wondering if there’s a pattern or if there’s more to the story. It could unintentionally raise questions about your approach to dating or inadvertently create doubts about your experiences.”
Really, this makes sense. After all, how many of us have had a pre-date snoop at the social media presence of potential partners or even asked our friends to? If you saw a potential partner spilling all on TikTok, would it raise alarm bells for you about dating them?
With this in mind, Hathorn added, “while it’s tempting to spill all the numbers, consider leaving some room for mystery and focusing on the fun, exciting parts of your dating journey instead.”
She added, “remember — while dating is about the fun, it is also about how you utilise your time and attention. Connecting with new partners isn’t always about the past, but about what you’ve learnt from that past and how you move forward, uplifting both yourself and them”.
Maybe keep the deep dives for your private PowerPoint Parties and group chats.