I’m 24. I don’t have all the answers but would guess that, given my age being right in the middle of the range, I’m a tad more familiar with the average 18-30 year old than other posters, who I’d say are generally in the, maybe, 35-55 range?
Kids are just getting out there less these days. Average age of everything is rising - getting a driver’s license, getting a first job, etc. Including losing virginity. Many (not all) people just aren’t out in the real world as much. There’s less face-to-face interaction, and just plain less doing things.
I’ve heard someone, can’t remember who, says “kids” (I don’t know who this refers to) today are talking about sex more than ever, but having less of it. I think technology is probably largely to blame for this. I’ve mentioned it many times in real-life conversations and in threads on TN, but a lot of kids don’t know how to interact with people anymore. I worked in the tech service department at my college, where students would frequently call with tech questions. My bosses noted that fewer students were just coming in and getting in-person help, which was always quicker and easier for all parties. And when they would call, man, it was painful. Many of them sounded genuinely scared to be making a phone call to a stranger.
There’s just less having to put yourself out there. You don’t have to go knock on your friend’s/date’s door when you arrive to pick them up, you can just text them that you’re outside. You’re able to avoid meeting parents or having awkward conversations.
I can’t count how many times I’ve seen guys my age or slightly younger text girls the most ridiculous things. One dude I worked with sent a paragraphs-long text to a girl telling her how much he liked things like how her nose scrunched up when she laughed, and when she walked in, he would barely acknowledge her. Just like it’s easier for keyboard warriors to insult whoever they want with no reprcussions, it’s very easy for keyboard…Romeo’s (?) to say things to girls they’d never have the courage to say in person.
Kinda rambling but basically, I just think people are less and less prepared to put themselves out there. It’s become very easy to never have to do this.
Oh, and porn. This isn’t a comment on the morality of it, but it’s an easy option. You see in countries like Japan and South Korea, where things like fairly realistic sex robots are somewhat prevalent. The women are literally struggling to find men to sleep with them. They’ve got too much porn. Why would 18 year old dudes go through the trouble of doing basic adult things like showering, being well-groomed, and taking women on dates when you can get a nonstop dose of something that’s not the same, but good enough, in the comfort of your mom’s basement? Porn’s really advanced from 20 years ago, and it’s become a pretty comparable tradeoff, given the amount of work involved in the real-life version.
*I disagree with all of the above, but it’s what I’m seeing.
. Not anymore. But at the time…