Looking for a partner in 2026? You can get on one of the hundreds of dating apps out there. If you can’t find a match there, it’s alright, because there’s always a social media platform where you can meet the “man of your dreams.” Or maybe you want to slide into the DMs of that really cute guy in your class that you’ve never spoken to, but instead make up scenarios in your head all the time.
In today’s society, dating someone means something completely different than it used to. You meet a guy at an event, think he’s really cute, and then he comes over and asks for your Snapchat. What happened to asking girls for their number? When did it become a normalized responsibility to snap someone you met three days ago back within the hour, or you’ll seem uninterested? Teens today get into relationships over Snapchat and think that’s the person they’re gonna marry. Snapchat has become a form of communication that takes all power away from real human connections and good conversations. It’s easy to text someone that you love them, but many people struggle to show that same affection to their face.
Snapchat has grown over the years and has become one of the largest social apps since COVID. Teenagers text, call, and send pictures to each other all day long. This has replaced the lost art of forming connections through face-to-face conversations. Snapchat has made it incredibly convenient for kids to become socially dependent on social media, to the point where it becomes their only form of communication. Now you can take hours or days to respond, and it never used to be like that. This shift has caused relationships to fall apart when people avoid confronting a problem or people head-on. If you don’t want to text your boyfriend because of an argument, you can ignore him until you feel better.
So many factors today shape how we view and act in relationships. It’s gotten to the point where a 6th grader is deciding how long her lash extensions should be today for the two guys in her class she has a crush on. When did 12-year-olds start acting and dressing like they’re 21 to impress guys when they’re not even old enough to have a phone?
Not only teenagers but grown adults let their friends think for them in relationships they’ve never experienced. Needing support from your best friends is completely okay, but it becomes a problem when you let them dictate every decision and thought you have about your relationship. “My friends told me it was best to block you because you didn’t want to buy me that Coach purse I wanted for my birthday.” Or if a guy doesn’t pay for your food every time you go out, that’s an ick, but you’re both kids under 17 and have no job. When did there become an expectation for boys who are not even of legal age to pay for a girl’s food, clothing, and designer bags? Otherwise, that’s not princess treatment, and they don’t deserve her. When did it become all about the money instead of the thought behind gifts? Why do girls have to act and dress a certain way now that they’re “taken?” If your partner wants a girls’ or guys’ night, why do we fight it? If you don’t trust your partner to hang out with other girls and guys, you shouldn’t be with them. You shouldn’t be in a relationship if you need to supervise your partner.
Ick culture has become one of the newest developments shaping whether a person pursues someone they like. If a woman is too tall, men may use that as a reason not to be with her because they think they can’t handle a woman who is taller than them, even if she is kind, outgoing, and beautiful. Vice versa, women are quick to write off a man because he’s 5’5 and shorter than her. People use height and appearance as reasons to not be with someone, rather than qualities that make that person unique. This pattern continues with the attraction to partners who are mean to them. There is a culture surrounding women and men who are attracted to people who treat them horribly and prefer those kinds of people over partners who are gentle and kind. So many teens post videos and TikToks normalizing the idea that they are compelled to men and women who degrade them and are repelled by those who are good for them. The comments under these posts come from men and women who reinforce the propaganda that dating those kinds of people is relatable.
Love who you want to love, but don’t let the media and societal views on relationships dictate how you want to be in one; only you and your partner know what’s best for your relationship because you are the only ones living it. At the end of the day, if you trust your gut, you’ll make the right decision for your relationship.