New research into contact between partners shows a change in values. Twenty-somethings are much more promiscuous than earlier generations because of dating apps like Tinder.
If you haven't been marooned on a desert island for the last six months, or living without all the latest apps like me, you might have heard of Tinder. Number one: you need to be on the look-out for a dating partner. It's no fun on your own. Number two: you need a smart-phone and a mind to go with it. I swear all this 'stuff' leaves me cold. Anyway, if you work your way around the technology, you can get an online app that lets you swipe yes/no to women's pictures while they are swiping yes/no to yours, too.
In a survey of 2,000 young people commissioned by Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, many said they never expected to find a life partner due to the high turnover of dates available through online site and mobile phone dating apps like Tinder and Plenty of Fish.
If you haven't been marooned on a desert island for the last six months, or living without all the latest apps like me, you might have heard of Tinder. Number one: you need to be on the look-out for a dating partner. It's no fun on your own. Number two: you need a smart-phone and a mind to go with it. I swear all this 'stuff' leaves me cold. Anyway, if you work your way around the technology, you can get an online app that lets you swipe yes/no to women's pictures while they are swiping yes/no to yours, too.
In a survey of 2,000 young people commissioned by Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, many said they never expected to find a life partner due to the high turnover of dates available through online site and mobile phone dating apps like Tinder and Plenty of Fish.
British 18 to 25-year-olds will have double the number of sexual partners before they get married, and a third more relationships, than the older generation. The research found that today's contemporaries go on more dates, have more partners, and more sex than their parents did at the same age.
Also, young people expect to change jobs at least ten times in their lifetimes, and to have more friends, but fewer life-long friendships.
So—no more finding one job that will occupy you for the rest of your life, no marrying your teenage sweetheart, and no putting down roots and buying your own home with a long-term view of sitting on the porch in your rocking chair.
Tinder (and dating in general) might be a tedious process akin to an archaeologist digging a site to find the occasional piece of gold, but its worldwide popularity verifies the app’s viability as a way to meet a partner.
Within one generation, society has evolved from shovel to swipe.
Also, young people expect to change jobs at least ten times in their lifetimes, and to have more friends, but fewer life-long friendships.
So—no more finding one job that will occupy you for the rest of your life, no marrying your teenage sweetheart, and no putting down roots and buying your own home with a long-term view of sitting on the porch in your rocking chair.
Tinder (and dating in general) might be a tedious process akin to an archaeologist digging a site to find the occasional piece of gold, but its worldwide popularity verifies the app’s viability as a way to meet a partner.
Within one generation, society has evolved from shovel to swipe.
Back in the swinging 60s, western society believed in free love, which meant you need not tie yourself to one partner. The social movement rejected marriage, which was seen as a form of social and financial bondage. This was kick-started by the arrival of the contraceptive pill.
Here's an excerpt from my memoirs from the same era:
'My husband met people at his new advertising job and brought some interesting characters home to meet me. Turned out they had joined the radical Scientology group. One of his business friends left his wife and daughters, months after we'd got to know the family. He wanted to pursue his own happiness according to Hubbard's teachings, and often brought two hookers to visit us. The cheerful young women were so different than me in outer countenance, wearing tight flashy clothes and plenty of eye make-up. After they'd eaten with us, they'd go into the bathroom and polish their rings with toothpaste to make them sparkle before going out for the night. Life offered them fun and excitement. I wonder how they feel about their choice now.'
That life didn't appeal to me though; I stuck to my bipolar husband for as long as I was able. Some partnerships are not right for one party. Although I believed in honoring my vow, I split from him after twenty-seven years before the union destroyed me.
As each generation matures, they work out the need to commit themselves to a common goal, to raise a family, and to rely on support in their old age. Even now, many of the aged live alone, either by choice or because their partner has died. We do what we must.
But love is about caring for others, not just yourself. 'Without true love we just exist,' as the words from the song Alfie tell us.
It's hard to theorize about the future. Will this generation remain floating in a cloud of self-gratification for the rest of their lives?
Here's an excerpt from my memoirs from the same era:
'My husband met people at his new advertising job and brought some interesting characters home to meet me. Turned out they had joined the radical Scientology group. One of his business friends left his wife and daughters, months after we'd got to know the family. He wanted to pursue his own happiness according to Hubbard's teachings, and often brought two hookers to visit us. The cheerful young women were so different than me in outer countenance, wearing tight flashy clothes and plenty of eye make-up. After they'd eaten with us, they'd go into the bathroom and polish their rings with toothpaste to make them sparkle before going out for the night. Life offered them fun and excitement. I wonder how they feel about their choice now.'
That life didn't appeal to me though; I stuck to my bipolar husband for as long as I was able. Some partnerships are not right for one party. Although I believed in honoring my vow, I split from him after twenty-seven years before the union destroyed me.
As each generation matures, they work out the need to commit themselves to a common goal, to raise a family, and to rely on support in their old age. Even now, many of the aged live alone, either by choice or because their partner has died. We do what we must.
But love is about caring for others, not just yourself. 'Without true love we just exist,' as the words from the song Alfie tell us.
It's hard to theorize about the future. Will this generation remain floating in a cloud of self-gratification for the rest of their lives?
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