Once you think you've had enough of online dating trends, another one rears its sleazy, oily head and exposes itself to the world. We've had all sorts of dating trends in recent times, from Breadcrumbing to Sea-lioning via Gatsbying. Now, however, we've got another.

'Fishing' is something that we've all been guilty of doing without realising. If you've used a dating app in the years since Tinder appeared and changed our lives forever, you have likely fished or been fished. But, what exactly is fishing and how does one go about doing it?

It's simple, you buy some cargo trousers that can transform into shorts, a bucket hat and a multi-purpose gilet. Then, you and a few of your friends head down to a gnat-infested lake, put some maggots on hooks and sit for an obscene amount of time until something bites. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Wait... What? Oh, THAT'S what fishing means?

Scrap the above. Fishing, in the virtual, horny world of online dating, refers to sending a message out to all of your matches and seeing who bites the best. So, if like the majority of people, you use the 'Running Man' technique when perusing potential suitors, 'Fishing' is basically the next step in this dating evolution.

A classic fishing message would be somethround the deep sea of Tinder until they are consumed by a whale.

While fishing may seem like a bit of harmless fun and a way to filter out the week from the poor, it does tie into the new dating trend of keepinging along the lines of, "What are you up to tonight?" and the fisher will tend to engage in conversation with the person who gives the best answer. The rest, however, are confined to the life of being a plankton, aimlessly floating a your options open in case something better comes along. The operation also isn't done on a 'first come first serve' basis, so think about your answers before you reply.

However, the main detriment to fishing is how it can make someone feel. For those who realised they're being fished, it can be a demoralising thing to experience. No, you're not that person's priority, you are just an option. And, despite the fact that you may think that your latest match is actually interested in you, they've sent that message out to plenty of other people.

That said, there are ways to catch these predators. They usually set sail on their excursions late on a Friday or Saturday night and take a while to respond. Also, if they show little-to-no interest in your life, they've likely chucked their rod into other ponds.

But, the best way to avoid a fisher? Don't take the bait. Look for someone who is actually engaging and interested in you. At the end of the day, there's plenty more fish in the sea.

It seems like these days there's a new piece of dating terminology to learn ever week. Seriously, it's like social media is totally determined to name, log and categorise every minute facet of human interaction and behaviour, and keeping up with the new terminology can feel pretty exasperating sometimes. You've heard of "ghosting" (suddenly cutting off all contact with someone) "breadcrumbing" (leaving subtle hints that you might be into someone) "catfishing" (pretending to be someone you're not online with intent to deceive) and "benching" (keeping a potential hook-up on the back-burner in case you need a partner during a dry spell). But now there's a new term to enter into your lexicon, which applies not just to dating, but any kind of online engagement: "sea-lioning."

No, it doesn't have anything to do with balancing stuff on your nose. "Sea-lioning" doesn't really have much to do with the friendly marine pinnipeds. Instead it refers to a particularly toxic and passive-aggressive form of rhetoric, which has been identified as a form of harrassment by social media users. Maybe you yourself have been 'sea-lioned' at some point in your life. But is this phenomenon legit, or are people simply overreacting?

The term stems from the webcomic Wondermark, by artist and cartoonist David Malki. In September 2014, Malki published a comic titled "The Terrible Sea Lion", in which a woman and a man are shown having a private discussion. The woman mentions that she doesn't like sea lions, before a sea lion appears and intrudes on the discussion to debate the woman, asking her repeatedly why she doesn't like sea lions and asking her for evidence and sources to back up her opinion. The sea lion is shown to be harassing the woman by following her home, to bed, and annoying her at breakfast. The comic became popularised on Reddit, and soon Reddit and Twitter-users began using "Sea-lion" as a verb.

"Sea-lioning" is therefore defined as someone online who insists repeatedly give better responses to their questions or engage in a debate with them. A sea lion will demand more and more proof, which never satisfies them and leads to cyclical arguments. You make a point, and the sea lion demands more proof. Your expertise is ignored: It’s your job to convince them. They'll even use a condescending form of politeness to excuse their passive aggressive behaviour.

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However, not everyone is convinced about the legitimacy of the term, and the expression has been met with some backlash from social media users. For instance, Twitter-user Richard Olsen criticised the term, stating: "This sea-lioning thing is just a refuge for weak individuals who want to be able to drop words and not have to back them up. According to the logic above, every time a citizen asked a politician a question they didn't like, they'd be sea-lioning ... if you can't stand to be questioned then you should find yourself a quiet little cave somewhere and settle down in life as a hermit."

So what do you think? Is it a legitimate thing? Or a load of hot air? Keep an eye out for it in future!

Dating has change a lot in the last few years. It wasn't that long ago that online dating was primarily used by divorcees and other single people who were a little older and looking to settle down. Nowadays it's seen as a little unusual if you don't use at least one dating app or online service of some sort, and most people aren't looking for potential partners in bars, clubs or cafes - after all, why do that when you can find out what someone is like before you meet up with them?

However, it's not like this new dating landscape doesn't have its downsides. In fact, there are so many ways that people can screw you over that the new terms cropping up could fill their own dictionary. Most people are familiar with ghosting (now officially in the dictionary), when someone suddenly withdraws from all communication without explanation, but there are plenty of other dating trends to look out for.

There's 'stashing', where someone decides to hide the person they're dating from their family and friends. They may be dating in most senses of the word, but they can get away with treating you worse because deep down they see it as you're not actually together. Then there's 'mosting', where someone comes on strong (maybe even too strong), before deciding to ghost after all.

There's too many terms to count, including the likes of 'curving', 'orbiting', 'r-bombing', 'Gatsbying', and 'microcheating' - which all work towards making the single life a little less desirable. And now there's a new one that people have picked up on, known as 'you-turning'.

You-turning is where someone falls head over heels in love with someone by all accounts, but then suddenly changes their mind and acts completely differently - either ghosting or showing a lot less passion and interest despite their earlier behaviour. It's a sudden and intense change to go through, and can leave you feeling a little crazy, wondering whether you did something wrong or just misunderstood the entire situation.

According to a survey undertaken by dating service Plenty of Fish, around 29% of those on the dating scene have experienced this kind of behaviour from someone, which is pretty damn high when you think about it. On top of this, women are reportedly more likely to 'you-turn' than men are, with 23% of men doing it compared to 37% of women.

It's hard to control your emotions, and there's always the chance that you can have strong feelings that start to lessen over time - but it's still possible to communicate how you feel in a transparent way, and maybe pay a little attention to how your behaviour could be interpreted by someone else.

A rarer but no less frustrating dating trend that was coined by eharmony last year is 'scroogeing', where someone is broken up with right before Christmas just so they don't have to buy a gift. Apparently, 18 to 24-year-olds are the worst offenders with this trend, deciding to call it quits to avoid splashing out on a present. Hopefully none of you had to deal with this particular trend over the holidays...

There's a new dating trend sweeping through Gen Z, and it sounds pretty alarming!

As if dating wasn't hard enough, new trends appear to emerge all the time that just make things even tougher.

Modern dating is so tough because everything seems to hinge on technology, which acts as the tinder for a new flame - did you see what I did there?

Gone are the days of having a meet-cute where you accidentally bump into somebody at the coffee shop and it's love at first sight - if movies are to be believed.

Well, a new trend has emerged that is making things even tougher, and it's called "roaching".

First highlighted in 2021, roaching refers to the practice of a partner hiding the fact that they are seeing multiple other people alongside you.

The term is derived from the idea that spotting one cockroach often means there are many more hidden in the background.

According to Exclusive Matchmaking CEO Susan Trombetti who spoke to the New York Post, roaching is “inspired by the ickiness of seeing one of these nasty little bugs—but knowing when you turn the lights on, there are lots of them."

While roaching isn’t technically cheating, it is considered deceitful due to the lack of transparency about one's romantic life. 

OkCupid dating coach Damona Hoffman told The New York Post that you might be dealing with roaching if “the person is not really available or present for you, and very private about certain details.”

Senior therapist Sally Baker shared with Metro that body language can be a significant giveaway.

“Most people are uncomfortable telling lies, so they will subconsciously give clues either verbally or physically that they’re not being transparent or completely honest,” she explained. “Be observant. Listen to what’s said and how they say it.”

Baker added that over-explaining situations can be as much a sign of roaching as stumbling over words or speaking quickly to hide the truth.

Other indicators include keeping you at arm’s length, being secretive about evening plans, and avoiding discussions about the future.

If this trend isn't worrying enough for you, how about being "zombied"?

Singer-songwriter Mariel Darling brought attention to this trend on TikTok, saying: "Girl, you're being ghosted? I'm out here being zombied."

She explained further: “It’s like ghosting, but he comes back from the dead after a couple of months and hits you up.”

The concept of “zombied” has resonated widely, with Mariel’s video gaining 1.5 million views and widespread agreement from viewers.

In a follow-up video, she likened the New York City dating scene to an apocalyptic movie mixed with Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ music video, saying: "all these boys are tap dancing around commitment."

Life is hard.

Featured image credit: Paul Starosta/Getty