Let’s take it back to before the digital age really settled in.. When you had to show up to someones house to speak to them, or maybe you could call but, you and your whole household shared a line so you’d talk on the phone just to make plans to meet up. The glorious time when a guy had to ask you out on a date just to get to know you and show interest, and even if it didn’t continue, he still made the effort to court you. Do you remember this? (BARELY).
Our generation grew up on computers, the start of phones and technnology advancing daily, and with all the positive effects there have also been some negative ones. Nowadays, when you’re interested in someone, the first step is to get their number so you can text or their social media so you can get a peak into their lives but, how can you really get to know someone through a phone? We subject ourselves to the laziness of just texting, speaking on the phone, and snpachatting but when it comes down to hanging out, there’s rarely a case where a guy will ask you out on a date. The first idea of chiling is “Netflix and Chill” and when you start off this way, there’s only one entity of a person you really get to know.
So why does dating seem to be phased out by this “Netflix and Chill” era? My theory is a mix of three things: Phones have made everything too accesible but not actually tangible, men are too lazy to get to know you, and women allow men to fall into these extremely low standards. Now, this is not to say that technology is a bad thing or that cozying up with your boo to a Netflix movie is a horrible thing to do. The point is that you cannot truly get to know someone by ONLY watching movies, texting and snapchatting. You can’t possibly feel someone’s vibe through a phone because human presence is essential for that. You also cannot expect to get much talking done during a movie, (if you’re even watching the movie…).
A combination of changes have to be made to maybe change our dating culture being so non-existent. The first is the attitude towards it. Women have settled drastically into this “chicken wings and fries we don’t go on dates” mentality, as if it’s okay for your potential boo or POI (person of interest) to keep you couped up in the house. He doesn’t have to spend a ton money to show interest and get to know you. You can go to the park, or if you dislike outdoors, go to grab coffee. If you’re calling someone your boo who isn’t even sure if you like coffee or the outdoors, he’s not working hard enough. Now, for the men. The attitude of thinking you don’t have to court women is extremely absurd. It’s understandable that sometimes you may want to keep things casual but dating is not to take away from that! Dating should be fun, it’s meant to court and get to know people. It’s not equivalent to being in a relationship where things are more serious. Get to know her, because just getting to know her body is really the minimal fulfillment that a woman can offer. Lastly, ladies and gentlemen, PUT YOUR PHONES DOWN. If you happen to take that amazing step to actually be in a room together, put your phone down and talk. It’s really sad how awkward some of us have become simply because we’ve masteted the art of having a text personality but have the personality of a wall in person. It doesn’t hurt to exchange words, I promise, it’s actually pretty great.
So, now that you know my theory, what’s yours? Vote here to let us know if you believe our dating culture is dead due to “Netflix and Chill”, and also meet us on February 9th at 6:30 PM to continue the conversation at our “Netflix and Chill” panel.
See you there!