It’s Time To Up Your DBL Game
If you’re navigating the dating streets in 2024, you have to be fluent in speaking single-ese. There’s an unspoken language between two dating prospects where each person must tetter a delicate line between non-verbal cues, decoding tone-less texts, and reading between lines that may or may not be there.
It’s safe to say that it can be confusing and even frustrating having to decide between playing it cool while still showing interest in suitors. Thankfully, we now have insights on how to get clear on Digital Body Language (DBL) to (hopefully) end these vicious guessing games once and for all.
What Is DBL?
Hinge recently released their latest D.A.T.E (Data, Advice, Trends, and Expertise) Report from its team of expert Ph.D. researchers. The report provides fresh insights derived from a survey of 15,000 daters, highlighting the predominant trends and dating habits of Gen Z in the year 2024, one of which is DBL.
According to Hinge, DBL is “all the subtexts that are strewn throughout digital communication.” From emojis, punctuation, message length, and response time, these subtle, nonverbal cues give singles a hint about whether a person is into them or not. It's the subtle art of reading between the lines, or rather, between the characters in a text.
In the report, Hinge found that 77% of its users say a match’s DBL reveals a lot about their intentions, with 69% of Hinge daters relying on DBL to decide if they want to commit to going out with someone.
The report highlights a common theme among online daters dealing with the anxieties of interpreting the social cues of their potential matches — which is still an uncharted communication barrier within the digital realm.
TikTok creator Stacy Thiru shared in a video the times that she’s jumped to conclusions and misunderstood things in her dating life until understanding the power of DBL. “All this time I’m jumping, leaping, sky diving to conclusions, and the problem was I wasn’t understanding his DBL,” she says.
@stacythiru wedding invites coming soon, wait until stink & I get this DBL sorted🙈 check the link in my bio for the full Hinge Gen Z Date Report #hingepartner
Decoding Signs of Interest Through DBL
Generally speaking, reading between the lines of every person you date is already hard enough. Each person is coming into a new dating encounter with their own set of experiences, expectations, triggers, and attachment style, so even with a new understanding of what DBL is, there’s still room for grace and understanding from person to person. Because, let’s admit, how one person communicates digitally, may not be how the next one will.
That’s why when it comes to decoding DBL and adopting a more direct approach to communication, Hinge's Love and Connection Expert, Moe Ari, highlights the top signs of DBL that indicate interest.
They Initiate The Conversation:
“Taking the time to look at someone’s profile [on Hinge] and reply to a Prompt is a great way to make it clear you’re interested in chatting. 3 out of 4 Hinge daters say that initiating a conversation is a strong indicator that someone is interested. So, instead of waiting around for someone else to kick things off, step outside your comfort zone and try sending the message first.”
There Is Consistent Messaging:
“Are they using open-ended questions to keep the conversation flowing and replying with empathetic responses? When someone takes the time in their day to message you back and forth and ask questions, it makes you feel special. So it’s no surprise that messaging consistency is one of the most important DBL cues for Hinge daters.”
They Double Text:
“This is one of the most over-analyzed DBL signs out there! Does it show you’re too eager, or is it just a casual stream of thought? Only 13% of daters say double-texting gives them 'the ick,' so it’s time to put the fear aside and embrace it. Show them you are interested and want to chat!”
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Featured image by Dimensions/Getty Images
Aley Arion is a writer and digital storyteller from the South, currently living in sunny Los Angeles. Her site, yagirlaley.com, serves as a digital diary to document personal essays, cultural commentary, and her insights into the Black Millennial experience. Follow her at @yagirlaley on all platforms!
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images