I really thought we had gotten past the social media craze for overthinking romance, but I guess I was wrong. There are still plenty of intrepid engagement farmers making sure that none of us ever forget to have love on the brain in the most unnecessarily extra and unhinged of ways. 

Just like anybody who has ever been delusional over a crush, these individuals and accounts never cease trying to make something out of nothing. The latest so-called phenomenon to gain viral attention has been ‘micro-flirting’, or the idea that someone may be broadcasting that they’re attracted to you without making any obvious moves (we’ve all been there). 

When Twitter happened upon this latest complicated concept, it wasn’t long before people started to crack jokes about it. It’s fair to say that the majority didn’t seem to think that this was a word we needed in our vocabulary. In 2024, we yearn without pathologizing it.