Scrolling through social media you’ll see a sporadic post talking about how dating as we know it is dead. The articles usually call for millennials to right the ship. To trade in their Tinder hookups for a classic dinner and a movie.
The feel around our generation is that rather than finding an emotional connection with a partner we opt to have a booty call or one night stand. If that does indeed ring true, the question we must ask ourselves as millennials is if we see dating as a thing of the past.
While it may seem at first to be innaccurate, dating is still alive and well. If you look at statistics, people are definitely still out there looking for their Mr. or Mrs. Right.
Statisticsbrain.com reports there are over 23 million members on Match.com, and those people spend on average upwards of $240 a year to find their special someone. In America, alone, over 2,500 online dating sites exists. Hell, there’s even a dating site for people who have a passion for mullets (Mullet Passions, it’s a real thing).
See, dating per say isn’t dead, but the way we date has changed. If you look at dating as the cheesy 1950s picture of two people sharing a milkshake at a restaurant, then yes, for the most part, that aspect of dating is far gone.
Social media has changed that. People can simply now swipe left or right and chat with people they have never seen before. If you’re interested in someone you can find years of posts, pictures and other information on Facebook, Twitter etc.
Especially as college students, some of us hesitate to strike up a relationship based on the situation we are in. Our goals have changed. People aim to go far in a career and focus on work rather than getting married right out of college.
As students, our priorities aren’t always aimed at dating or finding someone but furthering our careers. There’s nothing wrong with that. We have marriage and family on the back burner.
The problem is we aren’t patient enough to see our future. Delayed gratification doesn’t exist in our mind. We get freaked out because we haven’t found love even though we are anywhere from 18-24 years old.
Life is still out there with plenty of time to find someone, but we hit the panic button and just accept the fact we’ll be forever alone because Jenny from biology stood you up.
Are more and more people accepting that they will be independent for most of their lives? Yes, and if that’s you there is nothing wrong with that. But for the most of us, we still want a lasting relationship.
It may not be now in our 20s, but eventually some of us will seek love. Whether it’s through connections you make in person or online. Now more than ever there are tools at your disposal to find love, and, when the time is right, we will go use them and find a person to strike with Cupid’s arrow.
