Jill's Journal: Is Google autocomplete the new love language?

Well, ladies, I guess I’ve been looking for the wrong things in a love connection all these years.

Apparently, in 2026, “He’s kind” has been replaced by “He has Google autocomplete.”

Last week, while eating lunch and perusing through my emails, I stumbled across a press release that featured a survey of 3,002 self-described picky single women, and according to the results, South Dakota women have officially entered a dating dimension this 60-something gal never knew existed.

Forget whether he opens doors, treats his mother well, or says “please” and “thank you.”

Apparently in today’s dating world, the three most attractive qualities in a man are:

• His name pops up in Google before you’ve even finished typing it.

• He’s spoken at a conference.

• Someone influential reposted one of his social media posts.

What happened to “He makes me laugh” or “He’s honest”?

Apparently, if the poor guy hasn’t given a TEDx talk or been interviewed on three podcasts, he might as well not even bother downloading the dating app.

The survey gets even better.

The surveyed women also found it attractive if a man has 10,000 LinkedIn followers, a Wikipedia page that doesn’t look self-written, 10,000 Substack subscribers and, of course, more recently a blue verification checkmark.

Meanwhile, I’m thinking a green flag is remembering your birthday.

Maybe I’m showing my age, but since when did dating become a résumé review?

Can you imagine the first date?

“So... tell me about yourself.”

“Well, I enjoy fishing, coaching Little League and grilling burgers.”

“I’m sorry, but before we go any further, how many podcast appearances have you made this quarter?”

Poor “Bob” doesn’t stand a chance.

And let’s not overlook the fact that 44 percent of women surveyed admitted they’d canceled a date because of something they found online. Meanwhile, if I Googled half the people I know, the only thing I’d probably find is their name mentioned as a survivor in a parent’s obituary.

Does that make them less dateable?

I beg to differ.

I understand doing a little “homework” before meeting someone. In today’s world, that’s probably just being smart. And oh-so-possible.

But somewhere along the way, it feels like we’ve confused online visibility with actual character.

Having a digital footprint doesn’t necessarily make someone trustworthy, just like having no digital footprint doesn’t automatically make them suspicious.

Some people I know have made a point to steer clear of social media. They’ve spent their lives going to work, volunteering and showing up when family, friends or even a complete stranger needs them without signing up on an app.

They may never trend on social media, ever speak at a national conference, and Google may have absolutely no clue who they are.

But the people who know them?

They’ll tell you everything you need to know.

Call me old-fashioned, but I’ll still take kindness over clicks, character over conferences, and integrity over influencers.

And if Google doesn’t autocomplete his name, I’m perfectly happy leaving a little mystery in the world. After all, some of life’s best discoveries happen when you put down your phone and through face to face conversation, you really get to know the person sitting across the table.