First, we had ghosting. We then had orbiting. Then came more obscure terms like benching and breadcrumbing. And yes folks, surprise, surprise, we’re about to be inducted into yet another way to be shady in modern dating. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to fishing.
While you may not be familiar with the term yet, you have almost certainly been a victim at some point. Coined first by Elite Daily, fishing refers to the act of sending messages to a group of people at the same time to see who’s interested in hooking up. Once someone takes the bait, the fisher reels ’em in, and tosses the rest of the poor guppies back to sea. Sound familiar?
So now we’re that all properly up to date on this freshly-minted term, let’s run through all the signs that you’re probs being fished as we speak.
Time is Telling
If you’re receiving a text after ten o’clock, don’t pass it off mildly as a random occurrence. Most likely, the fisher had one too many bevvies at after work drinks, and is now throwing a line out in lieu of spending a tipsy night alone. Recognise that late night text for exactly what it is.
The Waiting Game
It’s clear when the fisher has reeled in someone else, too. Should you choose to respond to the bait, you’ll sometimes find that the fisher doesn’t respond until the next day, blaming ‘falling asleep’ or a ‘dead battery’. Long response times are a dead giveaway. It’s 2018! Everyone’s phones are glued to their damn hands!
Generic Texts
Ever wonder why the person you’ve had a dalliance or two with never uses your name in texts? An obscure “hey what you up to” is the first you’ve heard of them in weeks. How curious. Newsflash: they’re sending one generic, copied-and-pasted message to a multitude of prospects. Don’t take the bait! Swim away from the hook!
Scratch that. Take the damn bait if you want to. But if you don’t want to be reeled in tonight, swim against the widely cast net and into sweet freedom like that triumphant scene in Finding Nemo. Just keep swimming.
At the end of the day, dating is a numbers game, and no one can really be at fault for trying their hand at a few prospects. Whether you’re the fish or the fisher, just be sure to be upfront about your intentions so no one’s getting hurt. And if it doesn’t work out, one way or another, there’s plenty o’fish in the sea.
