Don’t hate, participate

JULIANA CURTIS
OPINION EDITOR
@julianacurtis28

It’s no secret that dating in college is not normal. A “date” is meeting up at the same party late at night, and you’re lucky if you actually get to talk to each other.
When you’re interested in someone, you don’t walk up to them and strike up a conversation. You follow them on Instagram, poke them on Facebook, or slide into their DM’s.
If things are getting serious, you don’t invite your special someone to meet your family, you invite them to your date dash to meet your sorority sisters or fraternity brothers. We have all accepted that this is the way things are now, and for the most part, people seem happy about it.
It’s not even just college students, either. My fifteen-year-old sister in high school has recently made it official with a new boyfriend. When asking where and how they met, she looked at me with a strange look as if it was obvious, and then replied, “On Twitter.”
I don’t exactly understand how you meet someone over an app, but apparently is has something to do with “favorite-ing” each other’s tweets until someone eventually direct messages the other asking for their number. If you’re confused, don’t worry, so am I.
As a fresh new member of the USD single scene, I anticipated hating the single social sphere when I realized I would have to start participating in it. After being off the market for a while, I was hesitant to re-join the dating world, which has changed exponentially since I last knew it.
The “hook-up culture” has never been my cup of tea, especially in a school that is as small and intertwined as USD.
However, I am actually surprised to say that I don’t hate it. I don’t hate it at all. In fact, I finally understand it being on the inside.
Let’s admit it, talking to strangers is just awful. This might be the anti-social millennial in me talking, but I think everyone would agree it’s awkward.
Once you get past the typical questions of age and Greek affiliation, the depth of the conversation usually does not exceed this point. If someone truly wants to make an effort, they might ask your major or where you’re from. But unless you’re totally hitting it off, the awkward small talk that ensues after this point is something that I’m sure people would rather avoid.
So, why not just like their latest Instagram? Or, if you’re bold, send them a Facebook message? If these means are available to us
to make our interest known while avoiding the drawbacks, I don’t see why it’s wrong to utilize them.
If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable by someone making moves over social media, be thankful that you have the ability to ignore the message or delete the comment.
I’ve learned that you can’t quite do that when the person is standing in front of you waiting for your response.