Clutch magazine's Alisha Tillery says that both genders are at fault for allowing real dating to be replaced by text messages and tweets.
"I blame Steve Jobs and the invention of the smartphone!" That's what my dear friend, E, shouted as we discussed the latest in my personal life during Scandal's commercial break. I'd shared with her that a new guy, whom I'd named the "Texting King," had fallen into the Black Hole of Dating after one too many iMessage exchanges without phone calls or dates. The last thing I need is a text buddy.
"Technology has killed courting (or as my mama would call it, "coatin'"), Alisha," E said, "It's not the same, and you need to write about it." I took her up on the offer, but Alex Williams, New York Times writer, beat me to the punch (Ah, the struggle of writing in an online world). In yesterday's edition, he wrote, "The End of Courtship?," which took a deep dive into the slow demise of traditional courting and dating through the eyes of millennials. Mr. Williams, you obviously know my life, except I'm not a millennial anymore …
So considering all of that, we've all got some work to do, internally even. While every person does not partake in this new culture, it's very easy to unknowingly follow suit. Dating shouldn't become the floppy disk of relationships. If you're uncomfortable with something, speak up for change. And if change doesn't transpire, there's always that "moving on" thing.
Read Alisha Tillery's entire piece at Clutch magazine.
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