“Are you guys dating yet?”
“No, we are talking.”
This is something our generation says all the time, but what does it really mean? Where did this term come from?
Now, most of our parents will tell you that this is a new term for them that does not make sense. They may say “talking? What, you talk to people all the time, I don’t get it.”
When they were growing up there was no “talking.” There was dating and then in a relationship. Dating meant that you two would go out on a date, whether it was to a movie or dinner or whatever you do. This was not necessarily exclusive. Then after several dates and getting to know one another, you would say you are in an exclusive relationship. This makes sense right? There was no “talking.”
Now our generation has redefined dating and created talking. Dating is not when you are going on dates with different people trying to get to know them. Dating is when you are in an exclusive relationship with someone. Now that is fine, but still the question is what is “talking?”
If you ask people our age you will probably get a similar answer. Something along the lines of “when you first start hanging out and stuff before you date.” Typically, yes that is what talking is. It is somewhat similar to what our parent’s generation called dating. The difference is, we don’t really go out while we are “talking,” it is usually hanging out with groups of friends, hanging at each other’s houses and texting a lot.
The other thing is that talking may not always mean the same thing to everyone. Some may think that “talking” to a bunch of people at the same time is okay, while others think of “talking” as more exclusive. This can cause issues if those in the “talking” stage is on the same page. It can be tricky and a rough situation if there is not proper communication.
To me and I am sure other older generations, the term “talking” seems silly. We “talk” to people all the time, we are always “talking” to people. The name itself just does not really make sense and I think it confuses other generations, but hopefully this helped clear some things up.
Personally, I think our parents and other previous generations had the right idea. When your date would actually pick you up and you would go somewhere or when you conversed in person and not just over text all the time. I feel as if “talking” has caused many issues and needs to either be clearly defined or disposed of. I understand times have changed, but the respect and clear communication should continue.
