The the rules of dating have changed significantly since the arrival of the internet and smartphone technology, and that includes who pays.

In a 2015 study conducted by psychologists from Chapman University, men and women were quizzed on their dating spending habits. Researchers found that 74 percent of men and 83 percent of women reported that both members of the couple paid towards dating expenses after 6 months of seeing each other.

Despite this, some appeared to hold on to the cultural assumption that it’s a man’s place to pay, with the same study finding 84 percent of men and 58 percent of women noted men still paid the majority of the costs.

In fact, 44 percent of women said they were bothered when a man expected them to pay while 44 percent of men said they would stop dating a woman who never pays. It suggests that while plenty around us continues to change, some are happy for a select few cultural customs to continue.

That viewpoint was further reinforced by the response to a video shared to TikTok by Jackie Castore, showing her “Italian uncle” Tommy’s incensed reaction to learning she recently went on a date where she picked up the check. It can be watched here.

Sitting at a table outside what appears to be a cafe, Castore tells her uncle: “So last night I went on a date with this guy and the bill came and he made me pay for the whole thing.”

In the clip, Tommy sits motionless for a few seconds as he digests what his niece is saying. “What are you talking about?” he then asks, seemingly confused.

“I didn’t know what to do. He made me pay for it. I didn’t know what to do,” she tells him. “He made you pay for the bill?” her astonished uncle asks. “Yeah,” she replies. “I just didn’t know what to say. I was embarrassed.” Tommy responds: “Did he ask you out?” taking his sunglasses off as he poses the question. “Yeah,” she replied. “He asked me to come on a date with him.”

Leaning forward, he asks her: “Who the hell asks you out and makes you pay for the bill?” “What was I supposed to do?” she asks again, in a question that soon gets a reaction from her uncle.

“What were you supposed to do?” he repeats incredulously. “You should have got up and walked out.” It soon transpires that any annoyance her Tommy may have felt towards her unnamed date is equal to the anger reserved for his niece.

“It’s bad enough he did something stupid like that but, I gotta be honest with you, you’re just as stupid.” “What are you talking about?!” Castore is heard to ask. “You can’t,” Uncle Tommy replies. “Who does that? Does the guy live in his mother’s basement so that he can’t afford to pay?”

However, he’s still unimpressed at her role in events, asking his niece again: “Why would you go out with someone like that?” “I don’t know, it was bad, I think,” she replies. “Bad? Bad?” he fires back, smirking as he looks off into the distance, reacting as if his niece has just delivered the understatement of the year.

The reaction to Uncle Tommy’s response varied from amusement to some agreement on social media that his niece had been wrong to pay.

Nicolesamuels86 loved that Castore “somehow” ended up “in trouble” with shaniqueimari adding: “I think I would like an Italian uncle.” Brittney White joked: “Uncle Tommy needs a cigar after that convo” while miranduh said: “I need an Italian uncle in my life.”

Maddie Knutson was in awe of “the disbelief in his eyes.” Elsewhere, MissVictoriaa_ loved how she came to him for advice yet ended up “getting a lecture.”

Smallcupoftea said “I feel like Uncle Tommy wants to pay him a little visit while NotSandy applauded her relative’s old school views on courtship, writing: “they don’t make em like that anymore.”

Alex Serves Tea concurred, writing: “Preach uncle Tommy!!” with Laura the fake doctor commenting: “I want to date Uncle Tommy. Forgive me.”

Newsweek has contacted Castore for comment.