Once upon a time, all of the beautiful couples that have, and will, ever exist were mere “hellos” and “how are you? It is no question that in the last two decades, dating worldwide has morphed into something nearly unrecognizable from its previous state. With the creation and implementation of Facebook to online dating websites, phone calls to texting, and face-to-face conversations to Tinder, it could be argued that society today has accepted a towering dragon of avoidance and antisocial behavior that reigns over the dating world.

Now, I am not here to bash our society’s electronic advances; I am all for convenience and think that these creations have their place in social interaction and do benefit us. At least, to a degree. No, I am here today to discuss something much more important to college students worldwide: dating.

Most students on the UW-La Crosse campus reported that their ideal first date would be dinner and a movie. Freshman Alex Morgan, who was a proponent of the dinner and movie dating option, explained that if given the choice to be approached via social media versus in person, he would choose the face-to-face option.

I also talked to sophomore Anna Wiedner, who enjoys “dorky dates.” The last date she was on, with the guy who is currently her boyfriend, began when they went through a drive through, took the food and had a picnic and then spent the day at Chuck E. Cheese. Wiedner would prefer to be asked out in person rather than online, to know “that they are not shy, and that they actually care.”

I had the pleasure of talking to junior Kray Bradley, who is majoring in communication studies, so knows his stuff when it comes to social interaction. Bradley explained that he would rather talk to a potential partner in person, rather than ‘swiping right’ or messaging on Facebook. He brought up the valid concern that if the relationship would flourish, he would not want to tell his kids that he met his partner on social media. Bradley’s ideal first date would include the ability to “talk with a girl” and get to know them, rather than dinner and a movie, in which the attention is diverted off of conversation.

After talking with Morgan, I talked to Susan Schuyler, a professor of communication who has been teaching for 13 years. Schuyler and I discussed, in her knowledgeable experience, how dating has evolved, specifically with the implementation of online dating. She has experience herself with online dating websites, and described them as a little complicated.

“[They are] a lot of bait and hook – like finding someone online and meeting them in person and realizing they did not accurately represent themselves. I would recommend taking caution when using dating websites,” Schuyler said.

With the infinite opportunities available to meet new people and reconnect with the old – in person or online – we now cannot use excuses to isolate ourselves. There is hope for us all, no matter our desired method of communication or ideal first date.

Even though there is a fire-breathing dragon of technological advancements mixed with our own nerves that sometimes hinders our ability or desire to converse with others, we all have the power to be the knight or bad-ass princess who slays this monster, overcome our fears, and have our very own happily ever after.