Ah, Dating and relationships in the year 2018; probably one of the most common questions you get as a college girl in this day in age. Most of the time when you try and explain the world of dating and relationships in 2018 to the older adults in your life, they seem confused and don't really understand the point to all of the craziness that has changed since they were your age. Well guess what? quite frankly we're all just as confused as the people asking. For all of you adults out there who are curious, here's a short lowdown. I'd suggest buckling your seatbelt for the confusion express.

Hmmm, where should we start? Okay yes! Dating apps. Chances are pretty much every college kid you've met has at least swiped right or left, or had a two-second conversation they've met online whether they will admit it or not. Gone out with one? maybe, but in a lot of situations, they have a two-second conversation with that person because they got bored one night, AND when they do cave, you better get ready to work to try and make connections with a perfect stranger. Online dating apps have made it to where you don't even have to try and socialize other than through a keyboard. Yes, people do meet their soulmates online as college kids, but the numbers are much smaller. Most of the time when you do meet someone on one of these apps, it just becomes a funny story that starts something like this: "Remember that really awkward date I went on with that guy from Tinder?". Where to go now, let's discuss the non-existence of dating etiquette that is 2018, and some of the terminology and phrases that go along with it. Take Notes:

Ghosting: When two people meet each other and either go on a date or not and then one or the other decides they don't want to associate with that person. They then decide not to answer any kind of message, Snapchat or call from that person, pretending they no longer exist.

"Talking": Although this definition is confusing because we're all confused about it, even though we're doing it, "Talking" is whenever two people meet each other and text or Snapchat back and forth but are not "dating" or won't admit their feelings about the other person. The constant state of confusion occurs where both people pretend that everything's perfect, but in reality, everyone involved is confused.

Where do these terms come into play? well in 2018, commitment is a huge issue on both sides. For some reason, it seems as if young adults are so afraid of God to forbid, getting their feelings involved, that if they get scared or decide they don't want to pursue an actual relationship with a person they just stop talking or answering the other person altogether. This is instead of just being honest and telling the other person what they do or do not want, because apparently, just like dating, commitment is really hard to handle emotionally. So what happens when the other person doesn't get ghosted but they get involved with another person instead of the person they are doing the awkward tango with? Chances are they just text the person and announce they don't want a relationship or that they just "want to be friends".

In some situations, two people who are really close who maybe hang out in the same friend group decide they just want to be friends, but a lot of the time, the phrase "just friends" mean you've set fire to another awkward situation. From here on out you'll probably never associate with that person ever again, or, if you do, things will be too weird to function. The world of texting comes into play in these situations, and it is in these situations that girls bond; it is when you're wondering what exactly each text message means. Figuring out these text messages becomes an art and a moment in time where we are thanking God for our girlfriends. What does this mean? did I look okay the last time I saw him? have I been too clingy?

Although the world of dating in 2018 is full of mixed signals and deciphering text messages, most of us out there in the dating world have confidence in ourselves and our abilities to navigate this awkwardness. Just like our parents and grandparents before us who also had to navigate the interactions between the opposite sex, we have adapted to the world and society we are living in. For the adults in our lives who are trying sit beside us while we navigate, thank you! I hope this information has educated you so you can be slightly less confused then we are.