By Lester Williams Jr, Contributing writer
In today’s world dating is no longer a simple act of finding your soulmate, rather it’s a complex industry that is difficult for some people to understand.
According to www.boundless.org, in the past, courtship was a system designed for a man and woman to determine if the other would make for an ideal spouse. Nowadays courtship has been expanded due to the dating system being formed between the 18th and 19thcentury. This expansion has turned courtship into a public act rather than a private act and has also caused people to give relationship advice to the public.
It’s undeniable that the dating system has continued to grow into the 21st century which students from Saint Leo University have recognized.
“The change that I have noticed in the dating scene is the definition of dating.” said Yvenie Desrosiers a sophomore majoring in Social Work.
“Like before dating was just going on a few dates with someone and then from there the two usually knows if they want to be in a relationship with one another or not.” Desrosiers added
“Nowadays,” she continued, “Dating is called the ‘talking stage’ and for some people, this stage can last up to 4 months or longer; doing relationship things.
It’s ironic to think that modern technology like social media has granted society various new methods of communication which will help people find someone new to date. However social media has made people living in the 21st century more disconnected.
It is due to social media that dating platforms have been created which have provided users with the convenience of a safe environment where they have the chances of interacting with more people.
When it comes to teenagers dating, an article from moderngentlemen.net published in 2022 suggests that only 35% of them are in a relationship that is romantic. (Photo via [https://www.girlshealth.gov/relationships/dating/index.html])
The downside of using social media platforms like Facebook Dating is that they can negatively affect a person’s social skills such as a person’s ability to pay attention, maintain eye contact, and be self-aware of their physical environment according to libertyclassicalacademy.org.
It is also because of social media platforms that ghosting, the act of abruptly cutting off contact with someone, has become more common of a problem. As a result of ghosting, social media users are confused about why someone they have been talking to online has stopped talking and texting them without an explanation.
Besides social media, another challenge people must face this day in age is finding someone who has made dating one of their main goals.
In the 21st century, more women are choosing not to date in order to focus on their education, rather than commit themselves to finding the spouse they marry and having children with wife and mother.
This cultural shift has resulted in more women getting married and having children later in life.
Sites like www.cdc.gov have even recognized in a national report from 2014 that claimed ever since the year 2000 women in their late thirties had an increase in the rates of their first birth in 46 US States, while for women in their early forties, had an increase in 31 US states.
Although there is nothing wrong with focusing on having a career, there is an issue when a person doesn’t consider that they can meet their ideal spouse at any time in their life. For some people neglecting their dating life, can result in them going into a relationship not emotionally prepared for it.
When it comes to the dating system, it’s a concept that has continuously expanded from the 18th century all the way to the 21st century. As technology improves and human society changes, there is no telling what the dating systems’ next evolution shall be in the near future.
