The record album, the horse-drawn carriage, the abacus, the establishment of dating - that's just a short list of some things that have become obsolete. And here is a list what replaced them: the compact disc, the automobile, the calculator, high-tech dating.
I'm naming this phenomenon. High-tech dating is the use of technology to forego as much face-to-face getting to know each other as possible.
Let's say technological dating encompasses Facebook, MySpace, AOL Instant Messenger, e-mails and text messages. If so, the majority of the couples I know became acquainted through high-tech dating. I believed Bob Dylan when he said 'the times they are a-changin'. And for the most part, societal progression is a good thing.
I'm glad I don't have to try to park my horse and buggy on campus. And I'm definitely glad I didn't have to attempt finance class with an abacus. But I am not okay with the direction our generation is steering toward the world of non-traditional dating. Just because the use of the word courtship has gone out of style doesn't mean the act has to as well.
Traditional dating is so widely ignored by our generation that when someone wants to engage in this old-fashioned activity, others often don't know what to make of it.
For example, recently I was at Pita Pit with my friend Rachel. A guy boldly approached our table, looked her in the eye and said, "Hi, my name is something (I have trouble actively listening when a stranger introduces himself). Would you like to go to dinner with me?"
Out of shock, Rachel responded, "I'm going out of town tomorrow," as if his request for a date expired the next day. But he didn't walk away.
Mr. Old-fashioned-date-asker-outer stood at our table waiting for a better response. Rachel was looking at me for help, but I was just smiling and thinking, come on Casanova, we're trying to eat our chicken pitas here. Then she said, "My name is Rachel. You can find me on Facebook."
This wasn't awkward at all because she is definitely the only blonde Rachel on the entire UF campus, and she clearly wasn't trying to blow him off.
I know old-fashioned dating occasionally takes place, but if you think hard about the number of times you've been asked out in person, you'll realize how much technology affects your dating life.
Why couldn't Rachel and others like her just give these poor guys their numbers and let them buy a dinner? Because when they're asked out in person, the discomfort of traditional contact is so uncommon, it scares them away.
I'll admit the ease of high-tech dating does seem enticing. You get to prescreen any potentials to make sure they're interested in you before making any moves. You can also see if they have a sense of humor, if they have a good vocabulary and if their online profile seems like a good match.
Despite these alluring qualities of high-tech dating, I'm still upset over its existence. Sometimes the fun is in getting to know the person.
So what's wrong with traditional courtship? Why do women find it almost creepy if a guy walks over and invites them to a movie?
I want to know why we can't hold on to this custom and continue to do this one thing the way our grandparents did. Not all advancements are for the better, and I think high-tech dating has unfortunately tainted the mystique and exhilaration of getting to know a stranger.
If you have any ideas of what could be done to backtrack our way to traditional dating methods, please let me know - either on Facebook or through e-mail. But don't approach me in person because I'm going out of town tomorrow.
Carly Hallam is an advertising senior. Her column appears on Fridays.
