Nearly half of singles still watch former romantic interests after contact ends.

A relationship or talking stage can end when communication stops. Social media creates a less definite boundary. Former romantic interests can continue appearing through Story views, reactions, follows, and other activity without sending another message.

That continued visibility can turn otherwise minor online interactions into something people feel compelled to interpret. New research from MyIQ examines how often singles encounter that ambiguity and how it affects their ability to move on.

A survey of 7,284 singles across the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Latin America, and Australia found that 69% had continued seeing an ex or former romantic interest’s social media activity after communication ended. 58% said that visibility made it more difficult to move on emotionally.

More than half of respondents, 52%, said they had wondered whether a Story view, reaction, or other online interaction was a sign that someone wanted to reconnect despite receiving no direct message.

At the same time, 47% acknowledged regularly viewing someone’s content after communication ended without reaching out. The survey does not establish whether the same people belonged to both groups. It does, however, show why passive online contact can be difficult to interpret: nearly half of respondents reported engaging in it without making direct contact, while more than half had questioned whether similar activity from someone else signaled renewed interest.

The behavior is often described online as orbiting, remaining visible in another person’s digital life after direct communication has ended.

“Seeing someone online is not the same as hearing from them, but social media can make those two things feel much closer than they are,” said Sarah Meyer, Managing Director of MyIQ. “A Story view gives you evidence that someone is still paying attention. What it does not give you is evidence of why”.

The uncertainty is not limited to former partners. 63% of respondents said social media had made them more likely to overthink small digital behaviors, including Story views, likes, follows and unfollows.

Another 55% said dating advice shared on platforms such as TikTok had made people more likely to interpret ordinary online activity as a hidden signal. Terms including orbiting, breadcrumbing, green flags and soft launches have given users a vocabulary for discussing online dating behavior, but a label does not establish the intention behind an individual interaction.

The survey does not show that viewing a Story, liking a post, or continuing to follow someone means they want to reconnect. Its stronger finding is that many singles nevertheless experience those actions as information worth analyzing after communication has already stopped.

That distinction helps explain why social media can complicate romantic endings without any conversation taking place. Direct contact may have ended, but digital visibility gives people something else to read, often without enough information to know whether there is anything to read into at all.

About MyIQ:
MyIQ was launched in 2024 and is used by over a million individuals worldwide. It is a digital self-knowledge platform that offers more than an IQ score, with over 9 million completed tests across the various test categories: cognitive, personality, and relationships, all with personalised, actionable insights. The platform offers over 25 brain games, more than 150 intelligence puzzles, over 20 hours of expert video content, and 300+ available lessons on emotional intelligence, problem-solving, innovation, confidence-building, and decision-making. Through its IQ test, full-spectrum personality assessment, and relationship insight quiz, MyIQ delivers structured, personalized feedback that helps individuals better understand their inner world and behaviour.

Media Contact:
MyIQ
pr@myiq.com
Sophie de Villiers
PR Manager