Reflection 2: Swipe Right—On the Ins and Outs of 21st Century Dating

Facebook, Bumble, Snapchat, eHarmony, Tinder, Grindr, POF, and other social media sites, have revolutionized the ways in which people, particularly those under 40, approach dating and sex. In this world of high-tech dating, emojis, relationships statuses, sexts, user profiles, selfies, catfishing, friend requests, and tagged photos have dramatically altered the rules of engagement. Today, people have far more information available to them about potential mates than at any time in the past—just consider how common the practice of Googling someone is these days. But new technology also means new standards. Just what are the spoken and unspoken rules of dating (or hookups) in the age of social media? What are some of the potential pitfalls of dating via technology? For example, what must you contend with that older generations did not? Finally, where is all of this headed? How will all of this affect the way we look at sex, marriage, and relationships in the future?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "A Woman's Guide to Online Dating for Men" (Vice)
• "Seven Crucial Tips to Practice Safe Sexting" (Mashable)
• "Tinder Users Have Lower Self-Esteem: Study" (Time)
• "A Million First Dates" [Atlantic] 
• "Headless Torsos: How Smart Phone Apps Have Changed Dating for the Worse" (Huffington Post)
• "These are the World’s Most Popular Hookup Apps for All Genders" (Buzzfeed)

Required:

• MLA Style
• Two pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: Th 2.16