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From group dating to pre-date stalking, have social media made traditional dating obsolete?

July 22, 2016

Is dating an extinct activity? Do you know people that go on traditional dates? Dinner and a movie? Ice cream?

Are these type of social encounters traditional or just old fashioned?

Really, what is the point of going on a date when 48 percent of women admit to some pre-date stalking before they go on a date with the opposite sex? With the information available through different social media outlets, we can already determine whether we are into the idea of a second date before the first date ever happens. That’s a game changer! We no longer have to waste time getting to know each other! We can get the dirty info from before anything starts.

You can find out beforehand who he or she knows, what activities they enjoy, where they are employed, and how many children they have, and if they’ve been arrested and for what. All of these questions can be answered if someone does the right kind of detective work to figure it out. So is there still a need for dates and dating?

Traditional dating is practically obsolete. Nobody picks up the phone to make a phone call. They’re more than likely going to text an invitation to someone to “come hang out” as this has taken place of the traditional “let’s go on a date.” Potential lovebirds are given the ultimate freedom from formal awkwardness by “hanging out” and “group dating” and allowing each other to relax and feel comfortable and safe in familiar surroundings.

Save the mushy stuff for the endless stream of texts that you may or may not receive later. Nothing says “Hey, I like you” more than impersonal communication. Walls can stay up, vulnerability can remain hidden. There will be no personal connections made … not yet, anyway.

Fortunately, humanity still believes in chivalry to an extent. A 2014 NerdWallet study showed that in a group of 1,000 respondents, 77 percent of them expected men to pick up the check for dinner, at least on the first date — if there is a first date. Further research implies that perhaps the expectation isn’t about the money necessarily rather a gesture that shows appreciation and fondness for the other person. That can put a man in a place of vulnerability, but come on girls, how many of you have seen a man put more effort into picking out a steak or a Netflix movie than plan a date?

It might be annoying to get asked to hang out rather than to go out, but it’s still on the upside of getting a “sup” and a high-five from Mr. Man Candy down the street. Maybe we need to grow a pair, take a man out on a traditional formal date, and remind them what it’s like to feel special, wanted, and appreciated by someone.