Will we ever reach a point where dating is simply straight forward? Dream on. New dating trends continue to develop every year thanks to technology and a shift in attitudes to relationships in society. Just recently, Stylist contributor Lucy Mangan unpicked the world of ghosting, breadcrumbing, benching, curving, prowling and throning. We’ve also reported on the murkiness of being zombied and stashed. None of it exactly sounds great, right?

Of all the new terminology, ghosting is perhaps the most relevant, with many a dater knowing excatly what it’s like to be “ghosted” by someone who you thought you hit it off with (you had enjoyed six fantastic dates with them, after all).  

Basically: it’s not easy out there. And a new conversation highlighting a toxic dating behaviour on Twitter proves it even further. Most interestingly, it’s the complete opposite of ghosting.

It started when MTV journalist Eric Dimitartos shared a screenshot on his Twitter feed. 

It showed a conversation between two people, with one person asking the other to turn on the “read receipts” function on their WhatsApp. 

Dimitartos captioned it: *Goes on first date, scared he’ll ghost but instead gets this text*. 

This comment gives context to the conversation, proving that it took place after both parties went on a first date together. 

As you can imagine, this creepy and toxic behaviour has caused an outpour of shock and outrage on Twitter.

Many people pointed out that this was an even bigger red flag warning than ghosting. Others explained that it was controlling behaviour. And some even said it was like something out of a horror movie. 

It’s such ridiculous behaviour that at first it seems funny — like some sort of weird joke. But the reality is that this controlling way of thinking is a a serious concern and it can develop into something much worse as a relationship develops.

So, if you see this red flag warning, do as Twitter reccomends and block.

Image: Getty