Dating. The first step to getting into a committed relationship, but you may have noticed dating changed a lot through the years and as a Millennial it has gotten a lot harder to keep a relationship afloat. Just take a look at your friends who have trouble holding down a relationship or look at the divorce rates over the last 5 years. Forever is starting to seem more and more like temporary.
What could be causing these relationships to be short lived and or end in divorce? There could be multiple factors. Maybe, the couple just wasn't compatible with each other and that's okay. Things happen, but what about the others? I think a huge culprit contributing to the downfall of relationships in Millennials isSocial Media.
Social Media
We have all heard the term Social Media. Matter of fact you're currently reading this article on a social media platform. We use it daily and very consistently in our lives. Rather you're a Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or even a Pinterest addict you're on your phone or laptop rather often. A majority of Millennials feel the need to post and be public about their life as often as they can. While this can be fun and okay with most occasions it can put a strain on your relationship without you even realizing it.
What do we see on Social Media? When you open your Social Media app you probably are graced by some cute animals, divine looking food and attractive men and women. Now, the cute animals and the divine food most likely aren't hurting your relationship, but the attractive men and woman you follow might be. I'm not saying this is for all relationships, but I can see it growing as a problem.
Social Media allows us to see more and more of people than maybe we even wanted to see. While you might not mean harm by looking at another guy or girl on social media you might start to develop feelings for this friend of a friend and begin talking. What you thought was going to be innocent friendship might spiral into a problem that ends your current dedicated relationship. Once again, I'm not saying this is the case with everyone. The main idea here is that social media opens your eyes to a lot more temptations and if you're in a rough patch in your relationship you might start to stray away from your partner.
Dating Apps
Ever have that night where you're extremely bored and just decide to download a dating app out of complete boredom? I am completely guilty of this too. This isn't a bad thing if you're single and just looking for some fun, but if you're in a relationship and decide to download these apps for fun or even have them downloaded on your phone before you got into your committed relationship, but never deleted them after this could still be an issue. While these dating apps might have had good intentions when they were in development, they started to get abused after they were released.
These dating apps were once created for meeting people, but now they're mostly used as "Hook up" apps. While the casual hook up, no strings attached isn't a bad thing for single people not looking for anything serious. It can be potentially deadly in a committed relationship. Going back to what I mentioned earlier about social media. Dating apps are the same thing, but worse. The temptations on an app that was made entirely for the reason of dating or having sex could cause you to make a huge mistake and end your relationship. If you're in a committed relationship it is best to delete your dating apps just so you don't temp yourself when it's 2 am and you're alone!
Call, Don't Text!
While texting is a vital tool in our everyday lives. When it comes to relationships it's best to call. While texting can work during some occasions and be a quick way to ask a question or say "Hello". It's also really easy to do and doesn't show much interest.
Taking the time to call someone and leave a message shows that you're interested in speaking with them directly and not through pixels. While texting someone, we can easily close out of our messaging app and multitask on other things. When placing a phone call or talking on a phone you're giving your undivided attention to the person you're talking to. Sure, we live in a day and age where Bluetooth's are a thing and we can do other things while talking, but hearing someone voice versus looking at pixels is a little more intimate and real.
Sometimes hearing someone's voice just gives you more peace and makes you feel better about the day. While we all live busy lives and can't meet up for lunches or dinner or bar trips as much as we want to. Calling someone and showing that you care enough to actually speak with them can help in a long run.
When calling someone on the phone don't be afraid to leave a short message! Save most of the conversation for when they call back or when you both can grab coffee that day. The conversation will be a lot more enjoyable and a lot more personal when you both are face to face.
Dating has definitely been strained by social media in multiple ways. As a millennial who uses social media on the daily, I can vouch for these situations because I've seen them happen firsthand. I know not everyone is like this and that some couples can have all social medias and dating apps and it doesn't matter, but while others can handle the temptations and struggles of having men and women right at your fingertips at all times, others can't. Those who can't would probably do best with deleting the dating apps and not following people they may find attractive in the near future.
Good luck to those who are in a relationship right now!
And to all millennials:
Maybe, we should put the technology down and interact face-to-face a little more!
