Dating is shit.

Like, chronically shit. You meet someone, you go out with them, you try to figure out whether you like them or not in a controlled setting that is likely to reveal very little about them. Shit. And it's even shitter when you happen to meet the person you're meant to be dating on an app, because that means that you're 10 times more likely to be ignored, ghosted or, God forbid, stood up. You just are. This is the way the world works now. And it's awful. However, things aren't so bad that we've experienced one of the most brutal, harrowing, and upsetting dating trends out there. Coined by Mashable's Rachel Thompson, 'cloaking' is essentially when you get stood up on a date while simultaneously being blocked and removed from all social accounts. Yeah, see? Brutal. In a troubling video about the subject, Thompson explained that she had been 'cloaked' before. "If you're thinking Harry Potter invisibility cloak, then you're definitely along the right lines," she said - and proceeded to discuss as time where she went to meet a guy on a date... and then discovered that he had blocked her on all social media and unmatched her. Horrendous. Naturally, Thompson was frustrated with what had happened - less that her date hadn't shown up and more that she couldn't air her grievances with him. Because he had legit blocked all communication. So the next time you're complaining that a lad has just ghosted you or failed to like your Instagram pic, remember that at least you haven't been cloaked to fuck. ... Or maybe you have, and if so, please accept our sincerest apologies. You deserve better.