5 dating trends you should steer clear of in 2024

In 2023, between swiping on dating apps, reconnecting with old flames, and venturing on blind dates to having your friend play matchmaker or worse, turning into their Tinder matchmaker, we did spawn a few—rather outlandish dating trends. And truthfully, many of us gave into it willingly. Situationships, love bombing, benching, ghosting, and zombieing were some of the baffling trends that almost all of us are familiar with. 

Irrespective of the rocks 2023 has thrown at your dating life, the year is over and that is a sweet silver lining. It's time to hit the refresh button and start anew, first and foremost by boycotting (and unlearning) these (lousy) Gen-Z lingos. 

Unless you've been living under a rock with no internet access for months or have been completely MIA from the dating world, ghosting is a (brutal) way of ending things with a romantic interest. Leaving them on read, ignoring their calls and their existence in entirety, are the basics of ghosting. The idea stems from people’s lack of confrontation or their inability to communicate, neither of which is a worthy excuse. So if you’ve ghosted anyone in 2023, this is your cue to work through your issues. We suggest you unlearn the unhealthy communication patterns and relearn healthier ones. 

Situationship 

For God’s sake, stop getting into yet another situationship! You deserve better; the better being a partner that is willing to commit to you. The question of what qualifies as a situationship is still a matter of debate. For some, it's the complete relationship experience without the "relationship" tag, some deduce it as a friends-with-benefits situation. The bottom line is the same, if you’re investing your time in someone who's more than a friend but less than a boyfriend/girlfriend, you're in a "situationship". And take it from us, staying in a situationship won't get you anywhere good. It's best to get some clarity and commitment. If you're afraid of confrontation, make it a point to actively work on these factors in the new year. 

Breadcrumbing 

Another bizarre but popular dating lingo this year, breadcrumbing is when someone keeps sending you mixed signals. In such, they give you just enough attention to keep you hooked but refuse to progress to the next stage of the relationship. So, regardless of whether you are doing the breadcrumbing or are being breadcrumbed, confront the issues and start the new year with a little more decisiveness.   

Benching 

Benching is when you’re putting someone on the fence. To elaborate, benching is when you keep someone hanging and give them mixed signals while you explore other options. While SRK's allegory of buying a chair in Dear Zindagi is comforting, it is a horrible way of navigating through the dating culture and could cause your self-esteem to spiral down, and cause communication problems, amongst other issues. Not to mention, it is truly unfair to the other person. We recommend some introspection for you before you begin the next year. 

Love bombing 

While it does sound like you're about to be showered with rose petals, love bombing is quite the opposite. It is when someone showers you with a lot of attention and admiration only to manipulate you. Many have used this tactic to lure people into relationships, which later fizzles out, of course. Protect yourself from this by setting boundaries and maintaining them. Let your motto for 2024 be: Build better boundaries.