Cloaking: A Dating Trend That Forces You To Move On Without A Closure (2024)

Do you think ghosting is the worst behavior ever? Get to know cloaking — where it’s 10 times worse than every dating trend out there.

But before we dive into this subject, it’s important to note that this kind of behavior mostly happens to those looking for a partner on dating apps.

Nowadays, single people on dating apps think they have more options. Therefore, they think it’s a normal thing to pull.

Have you got a great match on a dating app, planned to meet, connected so well with this new person only to see them unmatch you shortly after?

That’s called cloaking.

As Rachel Thompson once explained in a video,

“Cloaking is when a person doesn’t just stand you up for a date, they also block you on any app that you’ve previously communicated on,”

Like many of us, she also experienced one of her dating nightmares.

She matched a guy on Hinge. She thought she’d meet this guy after he confirmed the first date.

Before it even happened, he cloaked her — leaving her feeling so confused and annoyed.

The impact of this behavior can be severe. It depends on how much you’ve invested in the “almost-potential relationship”.

But one thing for sure is that you will find it hard to trust people doubtlessly again in the future.

The obvious sign you’ve been “cloaked” and why you shouldn’t wait for them to come back

Out of nowhere, they’re just gone. They unmatched you. They blocked you on Instagram. You no longer have access to talk to them.

What the hell is happening? No one knows.

But one thing that’s clear to you now is that they’re no longer in your life.

It’s not just “ghosting” behavior where at least you still can see their posts on social media or get your latest text read.