The Strand’s four best and worst dating trends on TikTok
For those of us who are constantly fed dating or relationship content on TikTok, it feels like this app has turned into a hub for romance-related trends. TikTok offers many (largely inaccurate) insights into the dating world. Who needs a matchmaker friend or a dating app when you have a social media platform that can provide you with the latest and greatest in finding love—or at least a good laugh. So, without further ado, I set out to rank my top four romantic TikTok trends that keep our hearts fluttering and our minds engaged:
1. The “icks”
We have all heard of the ick. This trend involves calling someone else out for what we consider to be questionable actions. As TikTok users criticise everything from poor fashion choices to people’s daily habits, it’s a trend that is both entertaining and cringe-worthy. While fun at first, ‘ickTok’ soon turned into a ploy for users to justify their superiority complex.
No one likes to see their significant other running up the stairs with a backpack on while looking like a first grader, but that’s still not enough of a reason to entirely dismiss their character. Nevertheless, like any other successful TikTok trend, “icks” have become part of our daily vernacular, making the post-date reflection with your friends much easier.
2. 2022 #DatingWrapped presentations
Nothing screams maturity and stability like choosing to break down your romantic life in a PowerPoint presentation on TikTok. Inspired by the annual Spotify Wrapped videos, this trend encourages users to review the best and worst dates they had in 2022. These videos also include a reflection on the number of people the person has dated, whether they met online or in real life, and the amount of money spent on dates. This trend ranks second, as it fulfils the two important purposes of self-reflection and laughs. Who needs a journal, when you can cement your digital footprint with all your failed attempts to find love?
3. Beige flags
We all know of red, green and even pink flags. On dating apps, beige flags are indicators that a user hasn’t put much effort into their dating profile. It usually indicates that the subsequent chat and potential date are going to be tedious and unsuccessful. For those of us with experiences on dating apps, we know how hard it can be to use a person’s prompts to open a conversation. Am I supposed to lead with my opinion on pineapple pizza? Another common example would be when attributes like ‘food-lover’ or ‘sports-watcher’ are used to characterise a person on their dating profile. Who doesn’t eat or occasionally watch sports? Neither of these factors reveals much about the person; except maybe that they’re kind of… boring. So, this term is somewhat useful in describing uninteresting dating profiles.
4. Seduction tips
We are all familiar with untrained and self-proclaimed psychologists advising on our For You Page. These ‘professionals’ explain various theories from the Whisper Method to the Siren Eyes trick. In addition to being inaccurate, suggestions on how to appear more seductive in front of your crush are purely cringe and hard to watch. While some of us may consider testing these theories out of false hope, the ultimate result will most probably be disappointing. Trusting romantic TikTok advice is a hit-or-miss experience. The platform is known for its entertaining and creative content, but it’s important to remember that not all of the advice you see on the app is based on sound relationship practices or psychology.
