When talking about how young people date, it’s impossible not to think about dating apps; they get both the credit and the heat for making Gen Z and Millennials’ dating lives virtual and a little messy. But when YPulse asks young people how they’re dating, social media is playing just as much a role as these dating-dedicated (or maybe not-really-dating-dedicated) platforms in finding partners. While dating someone you met on social media was once a bizarre idea—had you never seen MTV’s Catfish?—for Gen Z and Millennials, social media is as normal a part of their dating lives as a blind date would have been for their parents. And it’s as likely to make things as hopeful or complicated as any dating app would. The sheer amount of time young people spend on social media, and how related to their real life it feels, means it just makes sense that they might find their next crush there instead of a dating app. None of Gen Z’s favorite social platforms have really leaned...
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