Tianna Bradford | Staff Writer
When you are in college, your parents start to ask you, “So…have you found anyone you’re interested in yet?”
You begin to realize that dating now is nothing like your parents’ or grandparents’ generations. Dating sites such as eHarmony, Match.com and BlackPeopleMeet have become the new technological way of “getting to know” someone without meeting them face-to-face for the first time.
Then we have social media, where the new thing is “sliding through the DM” and “shooting your shot” to ask for someone’s number and to begin the “talking stage.”
To our generation, the “talking stage” was pre-dating, less courtship but more of getting to know each other. Is this way of thinking actually adequate to the old-fashioned dating that we’ve seen in old films or by word of mouth by the older generation?
“I think this generation has come to a major halt when it comes to dating,” said Erin Paul, a sophomore architecture major from Kansas City, Mo. “Dating just isn’t the same anymore.
“I remember watching movies and seeing guys ask the girl out take her on a couple of dates to get to know her and then continue with courting and so forth. Now it’s become a guy asking you for your number through social media and you’re just expected to interact with them ’cause they ‘slid in your DMs.’
“Online is OK for those who are busy with their careers, but at the same time, online dating sites have created havoc when predators use these sites to their advantage.
“This makes those who are interested in these sites think twice about finding their happiness. Just meeting a person and having a conversations with them and then getting their number and contacting them more through texting, emailing and so forth is easier than letting just anyone have your phone number.”
Mackenzie Walker, a freshman journalism major from Memphis, prefers in-person interaction.
“I’d rather have that one-on-one connection with someone rather than texting, emailing or calling someone ’cause you never know their emotions until you see them face-to-face,” Walker said. “You want to see not only if you’re compatible with that person but also if you complete each other, and I think that is important.
“With catfishing becoming a huge issue, it’s embarrassing knowing that you’ve been interacting with someone who says they’re someone they’re not.
“You know, ‘sliding through the DMs’ is cool, but if you can’t approach me in person, then I feel like I won’t respect it.
“I want a man to approach me like a man.”
We realize with corporate America growing constantly, people don’t have the time to get to know people or date. With that came online dating. With technology already becoming affluent in our daily lives, why not have it interact with our love lives as well?
Online, you meet more people in less amount of time. Looking at their bio and descriptions of themselves, you can already weed out the one you actually want to interact with rather than blind dating.
Catfishing has also become an issue when it comes to online dating in the realm of dating in this generation. People pretend to be someone they are not. This act of stolen identity and pictures has led to the embarrassment of people wanting to date and making dating harder and more overwhelming.
So which one is better? Are you one of those people who hides behind the screen and shoots their shot through the direct message, or are you upfront with your interest?
The Hampton Script 