How online flirting has changed in the past ten years

I was a drama with texting back in the day (I may be young, but I also come from the texting era) with boys I liked. Face-to-face I didn't dare at all, because I was way too shy for that, so I had to rely on everything that could be done online back then. I still remember that I sometimes sent empty texts hoping to start a conversation with my crush because I ‘accidentally sent an empty something’. Yes, completely illogical and of course it never worked, but hey, I had to do something with my credit.

We understand that flirting has changed quite a bit over the past ten years. Time for a trip down memory lane to see how it all used to be.

The photos you post of yourself

You also took selfies ten years ago, but then without all the Instagram filters, Facetuning, and God knows what other apps are used nowadays to ensure you receive a hefty amount of hearts. In 2007 you probably took selfies in your bedroom from a higher point, without filters and not really paying attention to whether the light in that room was good enough. Or you used your MacBook (if you had one back then) and used a photobooth program for a bit more fun.

‘Nowadays you just sprinkle hearts on Instagram’

The way to get attention

Now I happen to be the only one in our editorial team who has been on Facebook for over ten years (yes really, what a party) and I still remember very well that you pressed the ‘poke’ button (oh, so romantic) if there was a boy you liked. And then with Hyves; you could have an anonymous crush on someone and then you got the chance to find out who your secret admirer was. Nowadays you just sprinkle hearts On Instagram.

Letting someone know they are important to you

Let's not forget Myspace and the drama of a top eight, which damaged many friendships. You could make a sort of top eight of the most important people in your life that would then be visible on your page. Of course, your boy filled the first spot. Nowadays you do this with a ‘Snapchat streak’. The more videos and crazy photos you send to each other, the better your streak is. It doesn't really make sense but hey, welcome to the year 2017.

The struggle of waiting for a reply

And those blue ticks, oh how I hate those blue ticks. Yes yes, I know, you can turn them off, but I don't want to do that either. I'm just a mega slow replier and thanks to those stupid blue ticks I often hear ‘Elke, I see that you've read my message, why aren't you replying?’. Blah blah. Stop it, cut it out. And then there's that dot dot dot cloud that drives you crazy and stays like that for three quarters of an hour, after which you finally get a reply and all it says is: ‘Ok’. So much stress, these things, unbearable (gray hairs, I feel you coming). Back in the day, you noticed nada noppes.

I wonder what it will all look like in ten years. Teleportation maybe? I'm in favor, that seems nice. At least you know right away where you stand.