A new dating catchphrase has arrived (they come like, every day now!), and this one is totally the OBC pet-peeve: Breadcrumbing. According to CNN,

Breadcrumbing refers to a form of manipulation — whether intentional or not — involving one person “feigning interest and acting as though they feel sincerely interested and invested in a relationship with another person when they are not,” said Dr. Monica Vermani, a Canada-based clinical psychologist and author of “A Deeper Wellness: Conquering Stress, Mood, Anxiety and Traumas.”

Stringing a person along keeps “someone from looking elsewhere for a more stable, reliable and real connection, and remain hopeful and focused on them,” Vermani added.

Remember, while online flirtation is fun and sexy, the point of online dating is to see if you feel a connection, and then close the deal by going on a date and seeing if you hit it off for real! PS – if you just want to flirt online, there are chat rooms for that!

And if you feel yourself getting ‘breadcrumbed’, it’s time for an ultimatum – tell the other person you’re not playing games, you’re looking for IRL fun. If they’d rather just drag you along, it’s time to hit that BLOCK button and move on.