You have certainly heard of ghosting, haunting, breadcrumbing … But do you know “micro-cheating”? Like its peers, the practice of “micro-deception” speaks volumes about relationships in the digital age. Here’s why.
This is another term, a bit barbaric, which adds to the well-rounded lexicon of the confusion of feelings made in the digital age. After ghosting (he or she no longer responds to your SMS and other DMs), breadcrumbing (he or she sends you evasive and sporadic texting) or even haunting (he or she is your ex, and, by way of interposed and targeted, refuses to leave your life), please welcome “micro-cheating” properly. A “trend” that is both simple and complex.
“Micro-cheating”, or micro-cheating. Everything is in the title. This consists, as defined by the British media The Sun, of micro-betraying your partner in a more or less (un) conscious manner. For example? By “modest” acts like liking a person’s Instagram post, sliding into their DMs, nurturing a discreet flirtation through publications and emojis. The “micro-cheating”, these are digital attachment marks that seem like nothing but which, from afar, suggest a form of virtual faux-dredge. This is the deception of the Twitter era: signs of affection all that is most implicit, but which do not escape your idyll …
“It’s a slippery slope”
Two or three inches up here, a few well-placed smileys there, “it’s nothing” – as Julien Clerc sang. Not so sure. “It can start with a little bit of online flirting, and the consequences of these situations can be as devastating as a physical affair. Some likes on Instagram may not be bad, but you must be aware of the intention behind them, “warns relationship expert Rachael Lloyd. And if the scholar tells us bluntly that this little game can push one or the other part of the couple “to make toxic decisions”, it is because all the stake (and, in fact, the interest) of “micro-cheating” emanates from this ambiguity specific to digital communication. Within this universe made of “J’adore” in series, of exacerbated emotions and emojis “kitten that makes kisses”, a simple insistent smiley can resemble a technique of flirting.
Micro wrong, this is not so much to test the potential jealousy of his or her partner, but playing the ambiguity of intent: small miners gestures, nicknames assigned to friend · e · s Facebook, signs sub- hear these “friend · e · s” could be much more than that … in this case, it is always important to emphasize clear communication in your relationship history. History to avoid misunderstandings. “Very often this type of behavior is easily nipped in the bud and does not reflect a deeper problem (after all, we are all human)”, explains in this title the expert in relational dilemmas Ramani Durvasula.
Through “micro-deception”, as through ghosting, a whole story of exchanges in the digital age is told: that of duplicity. “It’s a slippery slope,” warns relationship coach Bonnie Winston, who recommends “rationalizing your relationship”. The history that micro-deception does not turn towards macro-deception. Prevention is better than cure, as the old saying goes.
