Why can't we be friends

I am not sure if it because of the age that we all are or if that a lot of this happens in a social scene, but is seems harder and harder to talk to someone or meet someone etc. and have it just be as a friend. Someone like me, I am very social, very outgoing, and I like to have fun and enjoy life. I have a lot of friends, and a good % of them are girls.

If we are all out or I am out somewhere, and I see one of my friends and get introduced to one of their friends, and we start talking, that doesn't mean I like her, that doesn't mean I want to date her etc.. If me and one of my friends are talking and we plan to go out and get some food or just hang out, that doesn't mean that we are going to date, it doesn't mean we like each other, we could both be dating someone for that matter. The point is that guys and girls can be friends and hang out and talk and it can just be in a friendly way. It seems like to me, that if a guy and a girl talk more then twice, either the guy or the girl automatically assumes that the other one wants them, and that is not always the case. Also, if 2 people are dating and one of them talks to another guy or girl and maybe makes plans to hang out with them, it is automatically assumed that the person wants to flirt etc..

The flip side of all of this, is how would I feel if the girl I was dating had a ton of guy friends, and she was hanging out with them, or if I saw online that she had been talking to one of them etc...If I was dating someone, I would have trust in them. If she was up front and told me that she had a guy friend she was going to hang out with, I would be totally cool with that. IF she hid it from me, that would be another story. The point is that we are all grown ups now, and we should be able to have friends of both sexes and be able to hang out with them without any sexual innuendos being there. I have dated girls that have had guy friends, and over time I have met them, and I am totally fine with her having her life and her friends etc, bc I trust her.

A huge reason for all of this is the internet. Between Facebook and Myspace and all of that, one comment written can be taken the wrong way and it all gets blown up. Just because a guy and a girl may write on each other walls or plan to hang out, or share a joke etc.. that doesn't mean anything. It means they are friends, and more then likely just bored at work or bored at home and are playing online. People read way to much into these web pages, and it gets annoying. Just because 2 people may talk online, doesn't mean that they are going to start dating or whatever. Just because a girl may write on my page, that doesn't mean she wants me, and vice versa.

Somehow over the years, it seems like being able to just be friends with someone and hang out with them as friends has faded away and now people always think that there is an alterier motive, when 99% of the time, there is not.