The 1980’s.
A time when popular culture was consumed by Madonna, Nike sneakers and “Back to the Future.”
In 2012, teens are more interested in country music, Sperry’s and “The Dark Knight Rises.”
For the most part, teenagers act the same way they did 30 years ago. We come home past our curfews, get in countless arguments with our parents and just want to have fun.
However, could we say that teenage romance is the same in both generations?
Probably not, and for one reason: technology.
I know, we’ve all heard it before, “When I was your age, no one had cell phones.”
Well, although we hate to admit it, that annoying adult who constantly reminds us how times have changed is right.
Back then, young people had to talk to each other in person. They didn’t have Facebook, Twitter, email or texting.
If a guy wanted to ask a girl out, he had to ask her while looking at her face.
There was no computer screen to hide behind if he was rejected.
And how weird would it be meeting someone at a party and not being able to Facebook stalk them afterward?
Pretty weird, if you ask me.
Nowadays, people don’t go out with someone they haven’t texted at least a few times before. But we can’t truly get to know someone by only texting them.
Sure, texting might be less nerve-wracking, and it may give us more time to think about what to say next, but it means more when we take time out of our day to hang out with each other.
When we’re physically with someone, they know we are only focusing on them.
When we are texting them, it’s hard for the other person to tell what we are actually doing at that moment.
We could be on another date, and the other person wouldn’t even know it.
Call me old-fashioned, but there are some situations that require more than just a “send” button.
The bottom line is, instead of Facebook-stalking or texting people, try talking to them face-to-face because genuine communication will be much more rewarding.