I’m living in a modern dating world and it’s the worst. Let me clarify, I don’t hate our modern world, as a whole. I am a huge fan of technological advances since it makes my life easier; however, I don’t like how technology has changed the way we date.

Modern dating is tough, complicated and requires a lot of unnecessary work that our parents and grandparents didn’t have to deal with. Think about it: The minute we meet someone new and attractive, the first thing we do is look them up on Instagram or Facebook. It’s almost become a routine for my friends and me. Apparently, we’ve decided that you can tell a lot about a person by the content they choose to post on social media. Before technology came into play, people could only get to know each other by hanging out and having actual face-to-face conversations. You didn’t get to know their whole life story before the first date via social media.

Traditional dating also didn’t involve the complicated text message relationship you now have to establish with a person before you can go on a date. The sad part is that texting the opposite sex is as serious and difficult of a job to some people as deactivating a bomb. One missed emoji or awkward text and everything could be ruined.

I know that whenever I’m texting a person I’m interested in, each text has to be methodically thought out, drafted, approved by friends and finalized before sending. This is ludicrous and a complete waste of time. In the days it took me to get to know someone through strategic text messages, we could have gone on one to two hour-long dates and found out even more about each other.

Another thing that bothers me is how different dates are now. Before text messaging, when you went to go pick up your date, you couldn’t send a text saying “Here,” summoning them to your car with a single word. Instead, you had to get out of the car, actually walk up to the door and knock. I’m not saying traditional dating didn’t require work, it just required a different type of work.

While technology is great and amazing, I want it to be removed from the dating world. I want to see people having more face-to-face interactions, getting to know each other in person, not through a screen. I want to be able to judge someone based on my interactions with them, not what I have seen on social media.

Put your phones away at dinner. Don’t be consumed with making your date look fun by taking a million Snapchats; instead, make it fun and learn to enjoy every moment of it. Embrace the awkwardness; don’t try to stifle it with your cell phone. If you had a good time on a date, tell the other person. Don’t wait to get home to send them a message.Trust me, it doesn’t have the same effect.

The best relationships are built on friendships, and friendships can only be built through quality time with one another.