the current generation is subverting the traditional rules of courtship so hookup is the new dating and marriage is no longer the goal as valentines day approaches kasmin fernandes lists the unwritten laws of the new dating game the times they are achanging and so is the art of the biggest game of your life it still requires flirtation and charm but there isnt much of the traditional movieanddinner or even coffee or drinks for that matter instead millennials todays 20and30somethings meet up and invite their romantic interests to hang out with a group of friends sometimes there isnt even a telephonic invitation just a lastminute sms or tweet for an impromptu hookup or chat says graphic designer ankit wadhwa a 30yearold wading through the shifting landscape of contemporary dating driven by social media social media has drastically changed everything about dating social networking sites play many roles connectors of mutual friends precursors to blind dates playgrounds for predate flirting and reconnectors of exes and longlost lovers youve got mutual friends you see photos of them with your friends and you think hey this person might be nice i could consider going on a date with him says 23yearold advertising account executive komal shah who is going on a blind date next week says ad guru prahlad kakkar technology has made life much easier for young people boys dont have to climb a wall to meet their girlfriends even if the parents put them on curfew the kids can rendezvous online from the confines of their own room however easy access to instant communication channels can also be a cause of anxiety says celebrity blogger malini agarwal rizwanullah popularly known as miss malini do girls still wait for the phone to ring after a great date of course they do but now theres the added trauma of obsessively checking email signing in and out of instant messenger so that greenlit reminder will pop up on his screen sending vague tweets about heartache and updating their facebook status reveal your past before the internet became allpervasive the only information one could find about a new date was through mutual friends today if you dont reveal your lessthansavoury past to a prospective date prepare to have it dug up with as little to go by as your complete name and city a person can access reams of information about you be honest after youve begun the courtship ritual too the way media spies on celebrities documenting their every action the internet marks your digital footprints through locationmapping microblogging sites and online photo albums you can stay abreast of where your love interest is and with whom at any point of time its a great way of knowing what you are getting into says relationship columnist pooja bedi peers decide partners friends seal the deal in relationships if we go by current research a newlylaunched double dating website conducted a study with 1193 single women in a bid to