to go alongside the dating depression and the great date market crash, there is of course, the stalk(ing) market. when we invest a little too much and suddenly all are stocks are worth nothing. so now the question is how much do we invest into our dating economics and the stalk market? in the age of casual and low effort relationships, even sending a text can cause your stalk market to crash, but maybe it's just a sign that you're investing into the wrong stalks. flowers on a first date, paying for the bill, getting the door, walking on the outside of the road, are slowly one by one rising in value for its rarity, or in econ terms: scarcity. the demand for gentlemen is increasing, while the supply is decreasing, so will the market ever reach equilibrium again? in all seriousness and econ metaphors aside (for now) what happened to the common courtesy of courting? like the whole shabang like in the movies. with everything being so casual and nonchalant no one wants to put in too much effort incase of being perceived differently, which when you think about it, is sad and scary. we, as a species, are too scared to display genuine interest so much so that it has declined our dating rates and ironically lowered our standards even though, we're constantly talking so called high standards. and i mean that last comment in the sense like are they even THAT high? it's like the meme: "men used to go to war and now they drink matchas and listen to clairo." which is definitely not on the same level but we just used to put so much intention and genuine-ness into everything we did, but that stopped. with the ability to hide oneself behind technology whether it be by yourself in a coffee shop, or in the elevator with other people, or in a group setting, we no longer are placing the importance on dating, but rather on brain stimulation and public perceptions. with instant communication word travels fast AND I MEAN REALLY FAST LIKE INSTANT ONE MIGHT SAY. we can become too dependent on texting without voyaging to have the real thing. the convenience of technology has been able to lessen the overall energy and effort needed to do everyday things. however, that transferred over to the dating scene as well.