Dating can be hard, especially in a time like college when everyone is figuring things out.
Navigating different steps of relationships with labels like “situationships” and “talking stages” are bound to cause confusion. You may suddenly get ghosted if things turn sour. But, with the help of insight from Gen Z daters, things may be a bit easier to navigate.
What is a situationship? What is a talking stage?
While the two terms may seem similar, Gen Z daters had different things to say about them. Ashley Neyra, a junior Journalism major and Spanish minor, believes the talking stage is considered “the middle ground before actually putting a label on it.” Many describe it as a stage where you start getting to know someone, sort of like a trial period with no strings attached. You might explore the connection deeper after this stage, decide to stay friends or stop talking all together
“It’s almost like testing the water before you jump in,” Neyra said. It’s early enough to not take it too seriously.
A situationship, however, signals something deeper.
“A situationship is where you are interacting with someone on a romantic level that you aren’t committed to,” said Brandon Reed, a junior Information Science major. He likened a situationship to a “casual relationship.”
What does it mean when someone ‘ghosts’ you?
The act of “ghosting” someone has gained popularity in recent years as dating culture changes. The act of ghosting refers to “abruptly ending communication with someone without explanation,” according to Psychology Today.
Being ghosted can mean many things — like maybe the relationship wasn’t what someone expected, or maybe they just weren’t interested enough in the first place. But without a mature conversation on how to end things, is ghosting ever justified?
“Especially if you barely know the person, I think it might be easier to ghost them instead of explaining what they did wrong,” Neyra said. She also noted that it was justified to ghost someone if they were coming off as dangerous or too intense.
Setting Boundaries: Where do I start?
For some, situationships and talking stages can be frustrating, especially if one person wants to make things official while the other wants to keep things casual.
One way to combat this while still protecting your heart is to set boundaries. But how do you do that when things aren’t clearly defined? These may be hard conversations, but they can help bring peace of mind.
In an article with Simple Psychology, an educational psychology therapist Jenna Nielson emphasized the importance of setting boundaries early on.
“Don’t assume you know what the other person is thinking,” Nielson explained.
Making sure you’re putting limits on an unclear situation cannot only bring clarity about the relationship as a whole, but can also help with figuring out what you want out of a relationship.
Then vs. Now: Did previous generations have it easier when it came to dating?
Did older generations have it easier? Maybe. The modern world has changed the dating world drastically, especially with the influence of social media.
Reed thinks the influence on Gen Z’s perception of love and romance has experienced a significant shift due to social media.
“We have allowed unrealistic standards and toxic ideals to dictate our real-life relationships,” Reed said.
Is there any advice from Gen Z on how to navigate the dating world?
Navigating the dating world can be one of the trickiest things to do as a young adult. Differences in personality, maturity and even interests make for different relationship outcomes. One of the most important things to remember is that everyone is just trying to figure it out.
“Give yourself grace and treat people with respect,” Reed said.