Dating in 2016 (if we can even call it that) is nothing short of interesting. Never mind the fact that dating in your 20s is a challenge in itself, why don't you add to that the attitudes of my generation as a whole to top it off? I'll be explaining what I mean through Friends.
1. Asking for too much (physically)
This doesn't just equate to guys saying they like girls with big butts, this also translates to girls saying, "I only date guys who are 6 feet or taller". Okay, so you have a type, whether it's a girl with a nice body or a guy who is super tall, why count everybody else out? We miss out on some really great people solely because we're worried about physical attributes. We should focus on the person's personality and how they fit into your life more than anything, but more often than not, physical attraction is the sole reason for dating someone. And people wonder why none of their relationships last that long because the majority of people my age don't want to take the time to actually get to know someone for who they are.
2. You're forced to be heartless to survive
Unfortunately, bad things do happen to good people. Those who have a big heart and love too hard get hurt, those who are truly into their relationship sometimes get hurt and much more. It's like the second you're too nice or too loving or too caring, someone takes advantage of it. Everyone is too worried about themselves and not worried about how their actions may affect their significant other. Things are done for momentary pleasure, but it ends up ruining something good. Then good people become heartless to protect themselves from ever being hurt again and possibly miss out on the best thing that could have ever happened to them because they're too afraid of being let down again.
3. No one takes accountability for their actions
People are so quick to blame someone else. We don't take responsibility for the things we say or do, and often times we have too big of an ego to let things go. We resent each other and get in arguments for no reason, over and over and over again, until finally, the relationship ends because it's just too much to deal with or one person finds someone new that doesn't bother them.
4. The Internet
Oh the internet. While it's a great place, it's become a replacement for actually talking to someone. It's easy to share your secrets and say pretty much anything when you aren't actually talking face to face. Talking over the internet can be a great place to start, but if that's all your relationship consists of then there's no way to know if you can actually be compatible. Dating now a days is all based on sliding in DM's, favoriting tweets or liking Instagrams. What ever happened to asking someone on a date (not hanging out and watching Netflix)?
5. Feeling like you're forever alone
When dating really gets you down, you start to wonder if you will ever find someone. Since there are so many people more concerned about how many likes you get on Instagram, partying, hooking up, and even just having someone who acts like a boyfriend or girlfriend, but can still do whatever on the side too gets frustrating. You try to remain open minded, but at some point it just gets to be too much. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and reevaluate and go from there.
Of course, this isn't true for every single person my age. These strictly come from experiences, the things I've heard from the people around me, and the things I see online. Dating now a days is difficult. People have lost the importance of getting to know someone on a deeper level than just the things you see on the surface. If you're anything like me, you don't like to waste your time so it makes more sense to take the time to get to know someone as a friend first before jumping into something that may fall apart within weeks. The age we're at is the time to be selfish and do what's best for you, however, that doesn't mean at the expense of someone else and their feelings. I have hope that the future of my generation will grow up and mature eventually, but currently dating in 2016 is probably one of the most exhausting things.
