Our generation is so caught up in technology that we no longer know how to effectively communicate.

Dating apps are on the rise, and many people find them to be the easiest way to meet people in their busy lives. Some try it just for entertainment, some for curiosity. Others try it to find that special someone.

However, when we rely too heavily on these devices we forget what it’s like to have a conversation face-to-face. That leads to those socially awkward moments we go home to tell our friends about.

Dating is hard enough as it is, and these sites only allow for more dramatic awkward encounters. But there are also some fairytale endings.

I myself have taken to a few different sites such as Tinder, Christian Mingle and yes, even Farmers Only.

I have found that many guys want to get straight to the point. They want sex, and if you’re not offering it up on a golden platter, then they are going to look elsewhere.

This happens with about 50 percent of online matches in my experience.

And then there are the guys who just can’t take no for answer and end up stalking you.

Once you break away from all of that, you have to change your bio to specify what you don’t want. Then it just becomes exhausting.

Then there are the ones that are all talk. The ones who don’t actually want to meet you, they just want someone who they can text or call all the time to talk about plans they’ll never actually keep.

Or the one who says he really wants to meet you but he just got out of a thing that ended four years ago and he is afraid of geting hurt. The list can go on and on.

After talking with a few students, I heard a few horrors. They included everything from lying to being stood up. One person even had a man who had the audacity to try and get her to engage in a threesome with him and his wife.

Another wanted to see if his wife was actually a lesbian.

Many had awkward encounters at work or school after matching with a classmate or coworker.

One person I asked actually matched with her ex-husband shortly after their divorce, much to her horror, as well as a married man who had kids.

One guy said after he and his date had a nice time and agreed that they should go out again, but he never heard from them.

It appeared that all they wanted was a free meal, and he was just the wallet that paid for it.

People even get harassed at work by customers who recognize them from their profiles.

But as with all horror stories, there are those with happy endings. Some people do actually meet someone worth their while.

Someone they develop a relationship with. Some guys do ask you out for a first date and do things right; dinner and a nice conversation with no expectations.

Some even end up meeting their soul-mate. That leads to marriage and that picture-perfect family.

All of this is really great, but nothing beats traditional dating. Meeting someone you fancy and deciding to go out and get to know each other instead of talking through text messages for three months before deciding they want to take a chance.

I will admit I am socially awkward, and I feel much more confident behind a phone rather than talking face to face.

But maybe it’s our job to change that.

Dating is hard, especially when people are getting married young and you’re sitting there wishing you were them. It can cause you to panic and feel you need to act fast.

Instead, take a deep breath.

Put your phone down, get up and walk over to that desk or take up that empty seat in the cafeteria and just say “hi.”

Who knows, that girl or guy you have a crush on in class might be crushing on you too.

All you have to do is open your mouth and talk to them.