Gen Z Diary: It’s important to check your Instagram mutuals before things get serious with someone new

I need to know what I’m getting myself into. If I can find out that they played football with one of my friends from college, or their friend dated my friend five years ago, I can begin to form an image of who this person is

Jane Cowan: "That's why it’s so important to have done your Instagram due diligence before things get too serious. I can get over it if we like to go to the same pub now and then."

One of the most revealing conversations you’ll have when you first start dating someone in 2026 is an analysis of your mutual Instagram followers. Those people who follow both of your accounts bridge the gap of unknowing between you and a potential prince charming.

This practice tends to be particularly fruitful if you’ve both grown up in Ireland. Because even if you think you don’t move in the same social circles as the person you’re seeing, it would be a rare occurrence to find yourself on a date with someone you can’t connect yourself to via Instagram followers. So rare, in fact, that I would find myself concerned if I was on a date with someone who didn’t at least go to the Gaeltacht with someone from my primary school.