It can also be a good conversation starter. Some people genuinely don't know or care about the social media corporations spying on us. You can have some interesting conversations with them.

That is a good point, when I say I don’t have any social media more than half the time people respect it, almost like I’m saying I’m X years sober from alcohol.

But I still feel like I’m tempted to make an account to avoid this additional social friction. Maybe I won’t use it for anything except getting people’s contact info in these situations. I’m not sure I’m a bit torn.

quick test as to if they’re your people or not

Absolutely... it's like when during job interview the recruiter ask if you code on the weekend. Some people treat that like the absolute worst question ever. Yes, in most cases I would argue it's to probe if you can be abused by working over time for free... but maybe you are into that or rather you do have found a way to make it work, e.g. NOT work during some weekdays. The point is that the question itself is a way to discover BOTH ways, for them AND for you. It is perfectly fine to stop right there and then if any of you is now aware that it's a show stopper because of whatever difference. The entire purpose of dating or interviews is to engage in a more involving relationship ONLY if it's worth it for both. It's a discovery phase, not a "let's close the sale" phase.