Top tips for millennials entering the tricky world of dating

It used to be that if you didn’t casually meet someone at work or through friends, you’d put on your best attire and head out to popular nightlife venues such as bars, restaurants with bars, pubs, and clubs to meet new people. Then you would go around the establishments, usually as part of a group, trying to find a viable match. Nowadays, there’s no need for all of that effort. Gone are the days of needing to go out or even leave the sofa to find potential dates.

This is the new age of dating for millennials (and everyone else), and the landscape has changed significantly over the last half-decade or so. The process of finding dates now is much more streamlined through online and mobile services, but for the newcomer, there is a lot to learn despite the newfound ease-of-access to dating.

Digitising dating

Getting into the dating world was never about going out and meeting people: it’s about finding compatible, available matches online. While this may seem lazier than the old ways, the method is very good at weeding out people who either you are not compatible with or who would probably reject you had you introduced yourself in person. Dating websites have been around for a long time, but even the most stalwart platforms have had to transition to a mobile app offering.

Mobile apps are simply too convenient and simplified not to utilise, and so, highly-rated online dating websites now offer apps for use on the go. Some apps go even further than just presenting a user-friendly, touch-screen experience on mobile, though, adding functionality that allows you to send messages, respond to emails, access location-based services, and browse profiles as well as get text notifications when there is activity on your account and you’re not online – so you never miss a beat.

Getting used to using an app or website to meet people can be difficult for some; that’s why there’s even a help book in the For Dummies series. But for the most part, it’s very much the same as finding dates in person, just without the awkwardness of making a proposition in public or having to talk to a complete stranger. Yet, the one aspect which is very different is the terminology used and the tactics that some may deploy.

Understanding the key terms

As you will know from being on the internet over the last decade, millennials (and now Gen Z’ers) have introduced many new words and terms to everyday conversation. While you may never use them yourself, it’s helpful to understand what they mean if you’re discussing dating with friends or are on the receiving end of an online dating tactic.

These terms are among the most-used online dating slang words:

• Ghosting: Instead of telling a person that they’re not interested directly, someone may just stop contacting someone and avoid their messages.
• Curving: Ending a dalliance by claiming to both want to meet up but also being unable to because you’re very busy, reinforcing this stance in weeks down the line rather than just cutting off the conversation.
• Kittenfshing: Like catfishing but only being borderline dishonest in the dating profile description instead of outright falsifying the image and details.
• R-Bombing: It’s seen by some as a power play and by others as outright rude. You’ve been R-bombed when you can see that someone has seen your message, but they haven’t responded.
• Benching: Knowing that you don’t want to commit to someone, but still stringing them along with messages, keeping them on the sidelines in case nobody “better” comes along.
• Bird-Boxing: A term coined from the Netflix movie Bird Box, Bird-Boxing refers to someone being decidedly blind to the failings of their partner, such as cheating on you or insulting you.

The modern world of dating is digital and uses many new terms, so be sure that you’re accustomed to them if you wish to enter this new age of digital courtship.

The editorial unit