Some Turning to ‘Date-Me Docs’ Amid Growing Dating App Burnout

A small number of young professionals in urban cities are ditching dating apps for something more akin to a resume, the “date-me doc,” according to a report by the New York Times.

The “date-me doc,” as dubbed by their creators, are typically plain-text documents with a handful of photos made using Google Docs or note-taking apps like Notion and include information like age, gender, sexual orientation, location and hobbies and interests.

While the exact number of singles using a “date-me doc” is unclear, as some people don’t post theirs publicly, the Times reported that multiple “date-me doc” databases currently include more than 100, from people in cities including London; Chicago; Toronto; Los Angeles; Dayton, Ohio; and São Paulo, Brazil.

“There is something kinda dorky about ‘date-me docs’ that reminds me of the early days of the internet,” said software engineer Connie Li, according to the Times. “I’m still on the apps, though I’ve pulled back heavily in the last few months since they just don’t seem to be working for me in terms of getting serious matches.”

Some U.S. adults have started to sour on dating apps in recent years. In 2022, 46% of dating app users said in a Pew survey that they had an overall negative experience, up from 42% who said the same in 2019.