Message Exchange Tips

I’m fairly new to online dating. I became widowed just over 18 months ago so this is unfamiliar territory.

I’ve had success so far - probably because I live in a massive metro area. Some really fun dates. But the text exchanges have been strange and inconsistent. I don’t ask anything weird or too personal, no sexual innuendo, etc. Just a couple of normal, friendly, introductory exchanges but they drop off a lot. They don’t un-match, they just sort of end. I know that most don’t want lengthy text exchanges but it seems insanely early to propose a date after 2-3 texts.

Is this normal? I get paranoid that they’re digging into my socials and don’t like something. Because of my relatively uncommon first name and what I do, it’s very easy to find me.