With New Technology, Comes New Pick-Up Lines

I've had the misfortune of working in my share of bars, restaurants, and coffee houses. Although the money is great, the customers are not. The amount of times I've asked, "what do you want?" and received a perverted reply, are countless. I am not trying to boast about my looks, I am simply commenting on the quality of men living in the Albany area; they will hit on anyone.

The other day, a man came into the coffee shop I work at, and I asked, as I always do, "what do you need?" He replied, "your number." I giggled uncomfortably, then asked him again, this time with a seriously annoyed tone, "no seriously, what do you need." After I gave him his caramel latte, a seriously feminine drink, I thought to myself, who asks for numbers, in this day in age?

Although I use my phone quite a bit, I do the majority of my communication through Facebook, Twitter, email, and instant messaging. So to ask for my number, seems a bit outdated? Surely, with the amount of technology at our disposal, doesn't it make more sense to say, what's your email? What's your screen name? Or even, what's your first and last name?

I guess there is some privacy in a phone number. If the person texts you, you don't have to text back. If he calls, don't answer. But in giving out a name, that provides the person in pursuit with a lot of information, which may not be ideal for the party giving out the name.

I also believe that phone numbers are becoming dated, also for the fact that everything someone can do on the web, can now be done on a phone, making actual phone calls almost nonexistent.

And finally, by texting or calling someone, we use the old fashion check list for dating. We get to know the person, asks them on a date, get to know them more over dinner, and see where things go. By adding a person on Facebook, we instantly know who their friends are, what their interests are, where they have traveled, if they are in a "complicated" relationship with anyone, and so on.

Which way do you prefer? Do you see dating advancing in the proposed direction?