The Dating Game
There are many ways people can get to know one another, be it studying together, going out for ice cream or just hanging out.
But when it comes to dating, sometimes there is a fine, almost invisible line between dating and just “hanging out.” It can be difficult to determine or even recognize that line.
“You can still just ask someone out,” David Maughn, an electrical engineering major said. “I think a lot of people are just timid about it or scared about it.”
To some, it seems that people don’t even want to date anymore.
“I feel like if people knew what dating was, they would want to date. I find that dating can be just like hanging out, but a little bit more fun,” said Jon Dayley, a USU student majoring in finance.
Some people have a different definition of dating.
Tia Mroz, an aviation major said, “I think that there’s a really big group that are really comfortable not going on dates and just hanging out with people. They don’t like categorizing it as a date because it’s too much pressure and that’s not what they want right now.”
Many have criticized this generation of youth and young adults for the amount of time they spend on social media. One opinion is that this generation is anti-social because their interface with real people, face-to-face, is warped.
“It lowers people’s standards for socializing in general for sure,” Mroz said.
Could this be taking a toll on the quality and quantity of dating? Is it just easier to get to know someone over social media or texting to find out whether that person is interesting or not instead of committing to a social date?
“I wouldn’t say the quantity of dating, but the quality of dating. Before it used to be you would go up to the girls door with flowers and you’d either call her up or speak with her personally to ask her out, and nowadays it’s just so much easier to Facebook or text because you don’t have to hear her voice or worry about your voice cracking,” Dayley said.
Yet social media can be a great tool to facilitate going on dates.
“I think it might be harder just with the whole social media thing. We feel connected, then we don’t have to go on dates,” said Jared McRory, a civil engineering major. “I don’t know if it’s harder to date, but it is getting easier to hang out.”
But some students also have a good idea of what to do when it comes to dating.
“You have to make the move. You have to be open enough for people to come and talk to you and visit you,” said Chelley Laga, who is majoring in Animal, Dairy and Vet Sciences.
Some take a more goal-oriented approach.
“I think it depends on what you want to accomplish. Obviously the end and the purpose of dating is to find someone to get married. Hanging out is just to have fun,” McRory, a civil engineering major.
“Both are perks,” Maughn said.
Some people don’t want a serious relationship, while others do. College can be a great time for either of the two.
Some girls see it as the man’s duty to ask them on a date. Others are comfortable asking guys on dates themselves.
“If guys would step up and do it, we wouldn’t need that, but it’s not a crime or a sin.” Maughn said.
Some girls seem to have the same view.
Laga said, “I think it’s okay because it lets the guy know, ‘Oh, she’s really into me.’ You can have that one guy that you know that likes you back but he’s too scared to ask you out.”
— roniastephen@gmail.com