As a graduate student, I spend a lot of time reading Pew Research data. While reading about survey soft news facts, I came across an interesting study Pew conducted in regards to “How teen boys and girls differ.”
In spite of modern-day devices and platforms, computers, phones, and social media, one hopeful conclusion that Pew reached was that some classic romance remains the same. Boys will still typically ask girls out face-to-face rather than via text message. In all the romantic comedies movies we watch, we never see the male lead text his love interest.
Thankfully, the inner romantic is still alive. So if you are waiting for your crush to ask you out, they might just be working up the courage.
Interestingly, almost half of the girls asked in the survey said they wait for the boy to make the first move and ask them out. While it is perfectly acceptable for women to make the first move, apparently, we prefer not to. The only problem I foresee is if men don’t realize they need to step up to the plate.
Personally, I was surprised to see that social media is an important factor. Pew reported, “Among teens with relationship experience who use social media, 65% of boys say platforms like Facebook or Instagram make them feel more connected with what’s happening in their significant other’s life, compared with 52% of girls. Boys (50%) are also more likely than girls (37%) to say social media makes them feel more emotionally connected to their romantic partner.” One would think that being in a romantic relationship is enough but, now, profiles need to be compatible, too.
Unfortunately, if someone’s romantic relationship is over so is their social media connection. 44% of teenage girls delete their ex’s profiles from their social media accounts, while only 31% of teenage boys deleted their ex’s profiles. You don’t want to watch them move on with their life and you don’t want to watch them wallow – there is no right answer to this situation.
If you are in a relationship, good for you. If you are not, I hope this data helps you understand why. It might be time for you to make the first move or if your relationship consists of texting, meet your crush face-to-face and give him the proper chance to ask you out in person. Best of luck to you and your love life in the digital age.
For more information, visit Pew Research Center.