Specifically, in terms of how things progress.

Like I personally do feel like some groups of people have become more cautious in general. Even with friends who have had casual sex and who prefer to 'see how things go'... they do take their time with it nowadays for sure. And it's only with perhaps the first 1-3 hookups in their lives that they move fast with, and anything after is treated with more caution. Guys also tend to have a habit of hovering around more too, rather than making a speedy and direct move. Perhaps it's boredom, perhaps it's increased neuroticism, idk.

Though, of course, this isn't applicable to all groups of people. But the two guys I know who get/got laid regularly wound up having a bad experience in an LTR, and one of them stated that now he feels like he can't engage in casual sex anymore (probs might've changed his tune now tbf 'cos you can't be heartbroken for too long). From their experiences/stories, it does sound like people do still date in the same way. So it isn't entirely puritanical or neurotic.

But I do believe that people have conversations about shit more though nowadays. Maybe my friendship groups are weird, but from what I've observed and experienced, people seem to be not be totally weirded out by discussing their intentions first before acting

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(sorry if this doesnt make sense. 4:30am ramble((