The ick.

By Sanchia Saunders

What is it and why do singles get the stick about having the ick?

Social media has arguably revolutionised the world that we live in today, as it has altered the way that we as people consume content and then slowly filter it into our daily lives, through our language, interaction, and even the people that we date.

Single Gen Z’s are some of, if not the largest group who have been influenced by social media platforms like Instagram, X and TikTok when it comes to online/ offline dating, due to the heavy online presence that this demographic has on the internet.

With over 41% of Gen Z having signed up to a dating site to find love, it is no surprise that Gen Zers are heading to social media to learn about sex, consent, dating, and self pleasure.

This could arguably be doing more good than harm, as the internet has become an informative fun playground for singles to discover what their type on paper may be, who Taylor Swift's latest pick of the week is, and more importantly finding out which latest turn offs and icks are currently trending and circulating the net.

Why do Gen Z turn to the internet to find love ?

You may wonder why singles turn to the online world for dating advice and to ultimately meet their match.

However, can you blame them when there is such an over saturation of eye candy thanks to the latest launch of Love Island UK, and relationship gurus like Oloni right at your fingertips.

If you delve into the online world now and what’s trending, Love island has just started here in the UK, and Instagram has been in a frenzy eyeing up the new contenders.

This has been causing quite the discussion online when it comes to what the contenders look like and if they are anyone’s type on paper not.

As when it comes to dating it comes with many different categories and subcategories of whether dates are looking for the bad boy, the guy with the tats, the shy boy, the corporate girl you name it, social media has a category for everything, and also an opinion on everything.

With further inspection if any of you tuned into the first episode on Monday night, which would be a shock if you didn’t, as over 2.2 million people tuned into ITV and ITVX in for its launch, you would’ve seen that one of the first questions that the islanders asked when they entered the villa is what is everyone’s icks ?

Suggesting that the ick is an important element when it comes to dating.

What is the ick ?

When the waiter ignores him when he’s trying to get the bill, ick. When he vapes, ick. When no cars are letting him in when he is trying to merge lanes, ick.

Reading these statements outloud do sound very comical and arguably outrageous, however these are just some of many icks that can turn your date off before you even have the chance to order drinks.

The ick which surprisingly is a term that was coined by 90’s TV series, ‘Ally McBeal’, and then was more recently popularised by social media, is a term used to describe how certain actions or behaviours when dating can instantly cringe you out.

Leaving you questioning whether you even want to continue pursuing the romantic connection with your date or not.

Despite this seeming fairly shallow and superficial the ick is a phenomenon which has taken over the dating scene, and has left many men and women who would have once been deemed the full package, now aimlessly swiping through dating apps looking for love.

Despite my mum not being very familiar with the phrase or its meaning, getting the ick is more common than one would think, as surveys have found that one in four UK adults have experienced ‘the ick’, and this isn't even just during the dating stage.

As recent reports have found, 43% of people in relationships say that even their partner can give them the 'ick'.

How social media is fuelling the 2024 ick epidemic.

So now that we have discovered that near enough anything can give someone the ick, what is fuelling this ick culture ?

As if you look back to 50 years ago, you would not be hearing people talking about icks, instead you would be hearing about marriage and proposals and children with a sprinkle of money trouble.

However if you have guessed correctly, yes, social media is at the forefront when it comes to the ick. This is because there has been a list circulating with some crazy icks noted down.

One video in particular which was posted to TikTok account wyszkay, which has amassed over 300 thousand likes, shows a lady complaining about men drinking Starbucks. She goes on to say that: ‘There is nothing more icky than watching a guy walk out of Starbucks with a Frappuccino in his hand’.

This is then added to the trending list at number 584, just below ‘don't jump on a trampoline’

Despite this list being funny and quite informative for singles to see what things could give their date the ick, it could actually be more damaging than we think.

With every little thing that people do being under scrutiny it could result in people being fearful of dating or developing a complex on self image, and how they may be perceived by others. This is why it is important for daters not to get caught up by the ick.

As if singles limit themselves when it comes to dating due to someone blinking a certain way or even breathing a certain way, what will that mean for the dating world ?

Head over to our Instagram to share your thoughts about what gives you the ick.