Today's society is scared of dating. They have come to a custom of talking for months. They will do everything a couple will do, but they're just talking. They hate labels and they hate commitment. Couples will literally be talking for an entire year, but will never use the term dating.
Many couples will talk instead of talking due to commitment. This might come from a negative experience of a past relationship. Many people have been cheated on and this effects the way they look at dating. Some have been through abusive relationships which then leads to being afraid of relationships. They let one drastic situation take on their opinions on dating.
People do not want to settle down. Some people don't want to be with just one person. They would like to be with several and that's not OK. Asking for someone to be faithful should not be that hard. The constant voice in the back of your head wondering if someone is cheating because you've already been cheated on once is not OK either. Being cheated on and not being able to settle for one person are both issues as to why dating is no longer a thing.
Getting out of an abusive relationship is pretty tough whether it was emotional, sexual, or abusive. They're all pretty hard and it will be hard to settle down and trust someone else. This is another reason why people will talk for a while before they date. They often want to get to know the person more, but at what point are you going to know each other too well?
Dating is scary no doubt. I personally was scared of dating again after an awful relationship, but I am so glad I got back into it. I talked to my now partner for a little over a month before we made things official. I got to know him, but here we are months later and I am still getting to know him. So stop the months upon months of talking and start dating!