The last 100 years of dating has completely changed the world of romance. In the past, people were barely in charge of who they married in some social classes. Now, people are finding dates faster and easier than ever before. What happened? Here is a quick rundown of how dating etiquette transformed in the last century.
The emergence of the concept of dating
The concept of dating isn’t very old. At least, dating in the sense that we know it today is very different from the past. Originally, dating was something that occurred in the presence of the family of that woman that was being courted. They would sit and talk, have dinner, and go on family walks to determine whether the person was a good fit. Eventually, between the 1920s and 1950s that started to change more to the dates that we know today, especially in certain middle and upper-class societies.
Calls on the phone replace letters
As time went on, technology began to seep into the process of dating. While it was hard to get people to hang up on the early party lines, it soon became a very popular way for people to communicate. Younger people especially loved the idea that they could talk about romantic endeavors and dating without having a group of people around. Moreover, they could say things that might be embarrassing over the phone without being close to someone. This trend was the beginning of the “depersonalization” of dating, and it continues to today.
The unadulterated love of the 80s
Technology helped pave the way for the modernization of dating into what we know today. Yet, a cultural revolution also had to take place. While everyone loves to talk about the 60s and 70s free love movements, they don’t often talk about women seizing their own romantic and sexual rights during the 1980s.
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In that time, it was not altogether uncommon for a woman to tell a man what she wanted in terms of romance, even if it wasn’t a long-term relationship. With women and men less fettered by social constraints, dating started to take off in new directions.
Dating entered the technological world
The 1990s and early 2000s saw dating transform in very meaningful ways. For one thing, dating websites became more commonplace and viable during this time. People could sit at home and communicate with people all over the world and it even saw the emergence of people using rizz pick up lines for a bit of amusement to start the romance (very smooth indeed!). Chat rooms, pictures, and private messages were the extent of dating in these times, but it was still a huge leap forward. While many people developed a distrust of the internet during the initial dating site craze, enough people used it and learned that they are a safe and fun way to meet romantic partners.
One swipe dating
The latest iteration of online dating has taken the lessons learned from the 1990s and 2000s and elevated the trends to the next level. Now, online dating is the most popular form of romantic connection for people between the ages of 18-34. According to this site three out of five Americans have used dating sites or apps at least once. That represents a huge shift in the ideas that people have concerning romance.
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Not only do they expect to find partners online, but modern technology has streamlined the process in such a way that people want to have a quick dating experience. Instead of using sites that take them through a complicated matching questionnaire, people now want the opportunity to simply scan through the available options, read their profile, and pick for themselves. This one-swipe dating option is the next iteration in love, but don’t be fooled- it’s not shallow. People know what they want, and they deserve to have it quickly provided for them by sites.
Dating etiquette has changed a lot in the last century. Now, people are free to go about finding love in any way they wish without worrying about the interference from their families. However, the more important shift is the one happening with regards to finding dates. Technology has made it easier than ever to find perfect partners rapidly. With more options than ever in terms of people using dating sites, every site user can meet the man or woman of their dreams.
