Right now teens are following people on social media they think are cute when their grandparents were writing heartfelt love letters and getting flowers for the one they had their eyes on.
What happened to dating culture? Social media happened.
Dating has changed dramatically since the development of phones and social media, making standards of teenager’s bodies unrealistic and the expectations for partners in a relationship decline.
Generation Z grew up with the development of social media, using it from a young age without any idea of what would happen with it when they got older. Because it was so new, no one knew how influential it would become.
92% of Dallastown students believe that the influence of social media has changed dating and people’s perception about their own dating lives.
The Pew Research Center did a study on the correlation of social media and relationships. 33% of single social media users say they feel worse about their dating life after seeing relationship posts. However, no one knows what dating actually is.
The definition of “dating” has also become very muddied, many students have different perceptions of what dating actually is. Some Dallastown students say it’s when a person is going on dates and some say it is when two people are officially committed to one another.
But what does dating actually mean? According to the Oxford Dictionary, to date means “to go out with someone whom you are romantically interested in.” Meaning that it is the action of the date that makes you seen as “dating” someone, not asking them to be your boyfriend or girlfriend.
“The definition of dating to me is getting to know this person who you like and they like you back to see if they’re compatible with you so you can marry them,” says Dallastown Senior Tj Wright.
Although there are many people who are in or are looking for a relationship, there are also people who are looking for a temporary companion.
Hookup culture has always been around, but during the age of social media it has become such a prominent part of the dating aspect.
People are allowed to express themselves however they want, but most of the time people within this generation are not looking for a genuine connection, just someone for temporary pleasure and they will do anything to get it, whether it’s dating apps or just regularly used social media apps.
Half of Gen Z can not use dating apps, so a lot of them have started turning Snapchat and Instagram into a “dating app.” Some people have found that adding people through the quick add feature can give them people from around their area, and some have found their significant other that way.
“I met my boyfriend off of a friend of mine who added me on Instagram, found out they went to my school and at school we met up and have been together since the beginning of the 2024 school year,” explains Dallastown Junior Aralynn Houston.
But dating with social media is not always a bad thing, it can be a great communication tool to get to know someone before going on the first date to see if you guys are compatible. Some people would not have met if it weren’t for social media.
Overall, social media has its pros and cons when it comes to dating, people just need to be careful that what they see does not influence the way they think about dating.
