In this day and age, the art of dating is confusing and drastically misunderstood. People seem to have the misconception that "dating" and "being in a relationship" are synonymous, even though they aren't. Millennials have invented the concept of "talking," which is basically a 21st century way of "dating," which, in reality, is usually nothing more than texting. So, here's the breakdown of what is and isn't dating, so next time, you don't have to hide this face when you're explaining how your romantic life is going:

Dating is a non-exclusive way of finding out whether or not you like a person and would like to pursue a relationship with him or her, via dates. Dating is all about actually meeting up with a person, face to face (scary, I know), and talking to each other and learning one another's likes and dislikes. The dating stage usually lasts longer than one date, and at some point in the process, it's usually good for both parties to tell what they would want out of a potential relationship. Since dating is non-exclusive and simply a process of talking to people, you can date multiple people at one time!

It's good to "date around," as some call it because it gives you an opportunity to find out what you like and dislike in people as potential significant others. Dating around doesn't count as cheating or being a player because the whole idea is for you to get a sense of what you like. The only time you need to be upfront about the fact that you're seeing other people is if one of the people you're dating talks about getting exclusive or forming a romantic relationship. At that time, you do have to decide if that's a path you want to follow, and if you don't but want to keep dating that person, it's time to be up front and say that you'd like to continue non-exclusively dating.

Being in a relationship, on the other hand, is exclusive, and seeing other people while in one is usually frowned upon (unless it's one of those open relationships; in that case, go ham on seeing other people). Seeing or talking to other people romantically would, it that case, be considered cheating, obviously.

So, the differences between dating and being in a relationship are pretty simple. Why, then, are people confusing the two? That's where things get complicated because that's where "talking" comes in. Talking is a silly, 21st century way of dating without actually human contact. It's silly, and should be ignored. Because of it, however, dating and being in a relationship get lumped together, which just causes a lot of trouble for people dating around when they have to explain that things are non-exclusive.

There's no shame in dating. There's nothing morally wrong with it, and it's a healthy way to decide if you're ready to pursue a relationship with someone. So, next time your friends see you going on dates with different people throughout the week and start to give you crap, remind them that "talking" is made up and stupid, and that you're having a great time non-exclusively dating. And then probably roll your eyes, and your freedom.