Flirting and Dating
Someone asked me, “How do you flirt?”
I told him that I usually get straight to the point when messaging someone.
“No, in person,” he said.
It hit me at that moment that I had never actually hit on anyone in person. I have always met hook‑ups, dates, and boyfriends on dating apps. It’s been what I’m most comfortable with.
I was never the bar type, and approaching strangers (even for friendship) was never my forte. The friends I have now are from high school, online, work, or through a boyfriend. I’m not saying that I have a sad, boring life with mostly online connections. I’m saying that many of my connections started online and then became offline.
Dating apps have made dating a lot easier for introverted people like me. I can easily start a conversation on a dating app and end up either in someone’s bedroom or at the movies.
This doesn’t make me think less of myself; it makes me appreciate the Internet more. I have accomplished so much thanks to the Internet. I have made real‑world connections, found a job in another country, and formed close relationships. Up until that conversation, I never realized how lucky I am to live in this point in human existence.
But also, without the Internet, would I have pushed myself to go to bars to meet people? Would I have worked up the courage to approach someone I thought was handsome? Would I have put myself out there more than I do now? Maybe... or maybe I would have just been a shut‑in jerking off 24/7.