Dr. Mother Love & Cool TLC The RAID, then evolution of dating 1900- 2022

The RAID

Evolution of Dating

According to the reading SOC213week5June1, dating evolved from a 20th-century practice called calling. In this case, a young man would be invited to “call” on a woman in her home and visit with both the involved young woman and her mother. This calling practice was popular among the upper class because other people did not own houses where such an event would take place. However, with time, people had to find a way of meeting their potential suitors and thus calling moved from home set-ups to the public sphere, which heralded dating. as dating transitioned from the house to the public sphere, it shifted the dynamics, and men dominated the space. Men would pick the location of the meeting, and the involved activities, and pay for it. dating became a popularity contest being measured by the number and variety of dates that an individual had within a given period. Among men, popularity was measured by the level of material possessions. Therefore, those with lots of money were popular because they could use the same to date various women. On the other hand, the most popular women were those who were in a position to date several popular men. In the 1970s, the “hook up” culture slowly started to replace dating. Hookups emerged in high schools as young people responded to parent-imposed limitations on dating. The process of hooking up was simple – a person will introduce his or her male friend to a female friend and the two new parties would take it up from there. In 2016, “almost half of sexually active high school teens have hooked up with a friend, and 14% with an ex” (SOC213week5June1) In the 21st century, dating has continued to evolve, especially with the emergence of the Internet. Technology has revolutionized the way people know each other, communicate, and interact on various matters. Various online platforms are now available for hookups.