Is dating a thing of the past?

Great question, society.

Dating today is an endless vortex of confusion, mixed feelings, and one-sided trust, with a side of whirlwind complications, to put it lightly. We really don’t do things normally, which really steams my broccoli. Everything about our generation is different in big ways. We don’t follow traditions or rules most of the time. I think we are still not a bad generation in the modern world. The way I see it, traditional dating in the 21st century is in a transitional stage, but it is still there. Let me explain.

Writing off of my minimal experience and hilarious memories of my friends that I like to recall here’s what usually goes down in the modern teen dating world.

A Step by Step to “Sliding Into DM’s”

Guy sees a girl, the guy likes the way girl looks/attributes etc.
Guy watches girl for a month, realizes he might have the feels.
Guy decides to gut up and talk to her. {Side note, this can occur face to face, a 45% chance, or over social media, 55% chance}.
Girl decides he might be OK, continues to talk.
The Snapchat streak stage occurs here, or if he’s a lucky fella, TEXTING WITH HER NUMBER!
The nerve-wracking “Do you want to hang out?” question is popped.
First dates happen, food is eaten, games are played, movies are watched, moves are made.
The lovers will talk for another month or so, and then realize whether or not they are invested.
Chance of making it out of “talking” into a legit relationship: 81%.
So, the fundamentals are still there. Is talking great? No. As a teen, I can kind of agree. Anyone from even 10 years ago can tell you dating has truly changed. It was simpler. Girl meets guy, the guy takes the girl on dates, they say they are dating. Simple. Now, the strenuous “talking stage” tends to complicate a once straightforward process. Instead of going out on a few dates and saying you are dating, we now overthink any and every relationship. Nonetheless, I believe it still exists, in a form. We still do the whole “going out” thing and all that jazz. We still keep in fairly consistent touch with the other person. But, why did I say it is “in transition”?

I believe that dating is changing because of fear of commitment and change in ideals. Today, most people glamorize the whole “player”, or “F-boy” labels. For some odd reason, chivalry is dead in most cases and that sucks. Commitment is considered to be scary or completely out of the cards for some people. This is what makes talking so convenient. It’s seen as a “trial run” of a sort, to see if the person is right for you. If you don’t think they are, a simple text drops it all. No tear-filled break up because you were never dating. I strongly believe that this is what dating is morphing into, a two month series of trial runs before you pay for a subscription.

So, in final, dating is still alive but changing. Don’t give up hope for us millennials.