7 Things That Have Made Dating Way Too Awkward

As if dating wasn't enough of a soul-sucking trainwreck, it’s only gotten more cringeworthy in this fast-paced, techcentric age we live in.

In that spirit, along with Elite Daily here are seven things that have contributed to making dating as terrible as it is. Consider this a checklist to NOT follow when you go out sometime this weekend.

1) Cell phones. Instead of enjoying an intimate conversation at a nice restaurant, we’re checking texts and photographing our food while making our date sit there until we’re done. I've been on the receiving end of this, and it's insulting. Yo, I'm right here! Pro tip: when you get out of the car, say that you have to make sure it's locked because you're LEAVING YOUR PHONE IN THE CAR.

2) Tinder. I tried Tinder. Tinder blows. Instead of actually interacting with people to forge a connection, the swipe has basically turned dating into window shopping based on looks.

3) The concept of going “out for drinks“. Dates based around drinks are just a way to make it easier to get into the bedroom later in the evening. Save the drinks for a few months into dating.

4) Netflix. When you stay in for Netflix, there’s no mystery about what you’re there for -- which is kind of embarrassing. When the guy says he just wants to "hang out", he really means he wants it all to hang out.

5) Social media. Dating used to be about two people sharing something special and seeing how things evolved. Thanks to social media, the whole world is involved in your relationship. As someone who works in radio -- and am prone to blurting out anything and everything about my personal life on the air, I may have to put on my hypocrite pants now.

6) Our superficiality. We live in a very superficial time. Thus, some people aren’t looking for a meaningful connection, just one that makes them look happy to everyone else.

7) You! If you’ve committed any of the above dating offenses, then YOU are the problem.