By Lindsay Dodgson, BusinessInsider
If you thought the world of ghosting, stashing, and sidebarring was bad, things are about to get worse.
Modern dating is tough, and sometimes it can feel like everyone else
has a manual to follow while you're left in the dark wondering if anyone
will ever love you.
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The game playing makes it even more complicated. When are you
supposed to arrange the second date? How long do you wait until you
phone or text the person you're interested in?
Of course, social media only perpetuates our anxieties.
However, thanks to dating website Plenty of Fish,
there are names for all the digital dating behaviours you're likely to
come across in 2018 — and most of them are linked to our phones,
according to the site's dating expert Shannon Smith.
"[They] can often be avoided by communicating clearly with someone
we're dating, and being mindful of our tech manners," she told Business
Insider. "For instance, 'Cricketing' and 'Ghostbusting' are simply
by-products of attempting to spare someone's feelings, or avoiding an
awkward conversation that we shouldn't shy away from. And we all know
that phoneless 'Flexting' has been going on since the dawn of time.
She added: "Singles in 2018 are incredibly savvy daters, and are more
empowered than ever to make the best choices for them when it comes to
their romantic dealings. But in a fast-paced world with so much choice,
sometimes we all need a reminder that dating should be fun!"
Here are the five new dating behaviours to be aware of in 2018 — then
you can go back to swiping away to your heart's content, knowing what
you're getting yourself into.
[post_ads_2]1. Flexting
Flexting is digitally boasting to impress your date before you meet
them in real life. According to Plenty of Fish data, 47% of single
people have experienced this, via a person who brags to them over texts
to big themselves up.
It's usually women on the receiving end of this behaviour, with 63%
reporting having gotten messages like this, compared to just 38% of men.
2. Cricketing
Cricketing someone is when you leave them on "read" for too long. In some cases it can take days for the other person to reply and continue the conversation. Instead of getting a response, the sender is met with silence. Cue the crickets.
The majority of single people, 67% of them, have said they've waited patiently for a reply and have gotten it way later than expected. We're all just busy, okay?
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3. Ghostbusting
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This is one for the people who don't give up. Ghostbusting is where
you continue to text someone when they are straight up ignoring you
(ghosting).
According to Plenty of Fish, a massive 78% of single millennials have
been ghosted by someone they were dating. In the current callous,
cowardly world of dating, it's good to know there are some perseverent
people left — 38% of people reported someone wouldn't stop texting them
after they tried to phase them out.
4. Serendipidating
With seredipidating, you leave things up to fate, and put off a date just in case someone else comes along who you like more.
Nearly a third of singles said they believe the grass is always
greener, and have admitted to putting off a day and time to meet for a
date, just on the off-chance they meet someone in the interim. There has
to be a limit though, as otherwise you'll be swiping forever — alone.
[post_ads_2]5. Fauxbae'ing
Fauxbae'ing is a curious habit 19% of single men have witnessed. It's
when someone pretends to have a significant other over social media,
when they're actually single.
It's probably a tactic to make an ex jealous, or an attempt to make
nosey family members leave you alone. Either way it's a bit weird.
