It’s 2019 and the “Hook-up Culture” is soaring. It would seem that everyone’s favorite hobby is laying hookie nowadays – not that, there is anything particularly wrong with it. However, it does affect how younger generations view romantic relationships. Back in the day, people took the word “dating” more seriously. So serious, in fact, that the mere mention of the word “dating” can make heads turn. It legitimizes your relationship as a couple and it means that you’re no longer open for other people. It makes your title official.
Nowadays, however, young adults would be “dating” several people at a time. Some would date for a couple of months. If lucky, it can last for a few years as well. Others date very briefly. Some would date for a couple of weeks and call it quits. Some would date for three days and break up!
Then, one or both of them would dash over to social media and declare they are “heartbroken.” I mean, I get it but I just can’t help but feel like the wow emoji sometimes – with my eyes wide in astonishment and my mouth dropping to as far as my lower jaw could go.
But hey, all’s well that ends well – right? And I just hope that this is one of the rare cases where a peculiar thing ends well.
Let’s just try to look at the facts now, shall we?
When Did Online Dating Start?
You thought you knew all the answers but this question probably hit you hard, huh? Well, it’s not like you would bother to think about this casually anyway. Online dating seems to be a very big thing now but where and when exactly did it start?
As for me personally, I first knew of online dating back when Yahoo was the “in” thing. Let’s face it. Back in the early 2000’s, Yahoo was everyone’s first email. There was no Gmail, Hotmail, or any other popular emailing website back then. It was Yahoo. The company had a messenger app called “Yahoo Messenger” and I would hear friends of mine talk about how they’d meet new guys over there all the time. It was such a craze, really. It was fun, fresh, and exciting for everyone.
But upon looking it up, it would seem that online dating goes way back to the 1960’s. Of course, back then, IBMs were the most advanced computers so you can imagine how matches were largely made through data analysis. It would usually involve answering a short questionnaire and analysing the answers. People who were most compatible were matched. Then in 2014, OKCupid was launched which was a more refined version of the 1960’s program. It was not until 2009 that video dating really became popular. Companies such as SpeedDate and WooMe were launched around this time.
Read more about this here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/susie-lee/timeline-online-dating-fr_b_9228040.html.
Fast forward to the present time, technology has since propelled the future of dating. Now, we can meet, date, and even get married to someone online. You can be friends for the first five minutes and engaged in the next ten. It’s that fast. We even have mobile applications for dating now. And truthfully speaking, they make dating look like a game.
Let’s take Tinder, for example. Oh, I know you know Tinder. There’s probably not a tech-savvy romantic in this world that has yet to try out this mobile dating application. In Tinder, you create an account for people to discover. At the same time, this account also allows you to discover people. Tinder often presents you fine singles who are ready to mingle around your area. It uses your exact location to identify candidates that could be your match. It usually shows you profiles of potential love interests near you so that you can conveniently meet and talk and sleep together once the arrangements are done. The rules are pretty simple. Swipe left, if you don’t like what you see. Swipe right, if you want to get into the cutie’s booty. Kids play, right?
After the success of Tinder in creating shallow and superfluous relationships, many other companies began to follow in its footsteps and developed mobile dating apps that conveniently connect singles with other singles in the area. This basically led to the explosion of the hookup culture in recent years.
This, I believe, has largely affected the way people view love and relationships. The fact that sex is always within reach has made people question love. After all, if you can satisfy yourself without gambling your heart, then why even bother to find love? Love hurts. It stings. It comes with a lot of drama and pain. Contrary to the bittersweet journey of falling in love, hooking up is way easier. You can have sex with whoever you want, wherever you want, and whenever you want too. It’s too convenient to pass up. When you fall in love, there is no assurance that someone will catch you. When you hook up, you can be sure someone new gets you laid every single night. If you’re curious about hooking up, then click here.
Whether this is for the better or worse, I will not say. But what I can say is that although tempting, I might have to pass on joining the hook-up bandwagon. I simply don’t think that it is for me. Then again, to each his own right? And you are entitled to your own opinion too.
Love, dating, marriage, and commitment are all confusing things. There is no “sure” way to a happy ending. Some of us go through roundabout methods while others get lucky and get it right the first time. If you think that this time is meant for you to explore, experiment, and have fun, then that’s your answer. Go ahead and be a free spirit. It’s you decision to make. Just make sure that you live life with no regrets. You will get your happy ending. Not now, maybe – but someday definitely.