Dating is something that is going out of style in today's society, especially for those stinkin' millennials everyone is always talking about.
I have never given this much thought before because I, a millennial, wasn't much into dating. How ironic. However, recently I have changed my mind, so I have put some thought into this subject. At first, I couldn't really figure out what was so wrong with today's society that makes us so afraid or reluctant to date, but once I took a step back, the answer was obvious. Us millennials, we are selfish, entitled, easily distracted, and always looking for something different to stimulate our emotions.
When I was thinking of the many reasons it is hard for millennials to date and stay committed, I asked my friends what they thought. Every single one said one of the biggest reasons for this is technology and social media. Social media and the rest of society has us always living for just a moment and a moment alone. Instant gratification is what we feed on. We are afraid to miss out on something, we are afraid of getting hurt, and we are afraid to let our guard down. Social media makes it too easy to find someone else and too hard to be loyal when something gets tough in a relationship, which brings me to my next point. Today, we rely heavily on other people to give us happiness. When someone else doesn't give us the happiness we wanted or expected, we categorize everyone under the kind of person who couldn't give us that happiness or under the person who did us wrong.
Apart from social media, we are selfish. We get so caught up in our own successes that we convince ourselves growing together with someone will take that away. We are also lazy. Relationships are very hard. It takes effort to make it work; some people can't realize that. Some people are worried that they will miss out on something if they are in a relationship.
We are also very indecisive and cannot communicate how we feel. I think this also stems from social media. We see what other people have and think that we may want that more, but do we really know? We don't, usually. Communication is one of the biggest parts of a relationship and it is one of the most crucial. Millennials (myself included) can't communicate sometimes, and it puts stress on the relationship.
I am sure many people reading have already realized all of this. Just like my friends and I; we all said just about the same thing, but how do we change it? My answer is simple: be genuine and be clear. Figure out what you want before you play with someone's emotions, whether that be a relationship or not. If you feel something for someone, tell them. If they don't feel the same way back, it probably has nothing to do with you; not everyone is going to feel the same, but someone will. You have to be secure with yourself and your standards before you can be secure with anyone else. That is the most important thing I have learned being a millennial and wanting to date someone.