For those that engage in dates, or at least hanging out, our generation also has become familiar with the term “ghosting.” According to Urban Dictionary, ghosting is defined as, “The act of suddenly ceasing all communication with someone the subject is dating, but no longer wishes to date. This is done in hopes that the ‘ghostee’ will just ‘get the hint’ and leave the subject alone, as opposed to the subject simply telling them he/she is no longer interested.”

Ghosting results in ignored phone calls and texts. But according to an article by Jessica Samakow of  the Huffington Post, “Greg Behrendt, author of the best-selling book turned movie, He’s Just Not That Into You, firmly believes that silence speaks louder than any words could. “What I find weird is that there has to be an explanation after two dates. If someone doesn’t call you after a couple days, that should be enough to say, he’s just not that…oh God, I don’t want to quote myself.”

“The social rules for dating change from one generation to the next,” says Frederick Newman, M.D (medicinae doctor) of Psychologytoday.com.

Rebecca Nolman, a writer for The Telegraph has a similar stance on the topic of dating, stating, “Traditional ‘dating’? My generation doesn’t know how.”

Both Newman and Nolman agree norms of dating have certainly changed, becoming more informal. Newman says, “Back in those days (his generation)—before computers, or portable phones, or, even, electric typewriters—the rules were different.”

Megan Holowitz, an Arrowhead High School senior says, “Dating has changed. It’s sort of a thing of the past due to everyone being super informal and just hanging out. It’s common for initiating some sort of relationship to done over social media now as well.”

And this doesn’t change outside of high school. Tess Bray, a student at the University of South Carolina and an author for Theodesseyonline.com, says, “Going out on dates is also not a real thing anymore. A cute picnic in the park? Remember the days of when you dreamed of walking down the stairs, with someone holding flowers at the bottom waiting for you to go out to dinner? Now if you even get a ‘you look nice today,’ it’s a step in the right direction. Dating lingo has also taken a turn for the worse. It is no longer ‘wow, she’s beautiful,’ but it’s, ‘damn, that that girl is so hot.’  This has caused sources such as the New York Times to refer to our generation’s increasing “hookup culture.”

Carly Stern of the Huffington Post, who currently attends Duke University wrote on thehuffintonpost.com that she believes this change in culture has occurred due to, at least in college, intellectual ability. She argues that as younger generations strive to be more successful and intellectual, they neglect handling feelings and relationships, and therefore, dating. She says, the “hookup culture” is an easy way to go about relationships with others.

Curran or Miami University sums up what our generation needs, in this article, by saying, “I’m not saying that we all need to go out and ask every person we’ve ever thought was cute out on a date. I’m not saying that these dates need to be extravagant or meticulously planned out. What I am saying is that there is nothing to lose. If you think the person you sit next to in calculus is cute, ask them to study sometime. Instead of Snapchatting your crush constantly, go get ice cream. Ask the person that you’ve always wanted to get to know better to hang out (in person! What a concept!).”