Ping, click, swipe, ding, ring. These sounds which we might have previously only associated with cell phones and computers are now representing a new age, that of digital love. Tinder, eHarmony, Match.com, OkCupid, Grindr (the list goes on and on) are only a handful of apps and websites geared towards making a “love connection” via an electronic screen with only a few taps of your finger. After quickly signing up and creating an online “profile”, users are exposed to endless possible suitors in their area, and suddenly we have taken the chaos out of the hardest part of dating: meeting someone.
But why has love become digital? Are we suddenly too lazy to make a real connection with someone outside of our technology realm? Are we so engrossed with smartphones that we cannot even take the time to meet with someone in person? Are we spending so much time looking down at a tiny screen that we have forgotten to see what is around us? In this new dating age, there is no commitment, no awkward first encounter, and no fear of face-to-face rejection. We have taken the somewhat uncomfortable, human quality out of dating. Now it is all about the perfect string of emojis to make you seem “just the right amount of interested”, or the guy putting in “effort” to send that “good morning” text. The digital age of love is taking over our world, for the worse.
Maybe if we put down the phones and looked around us, we would see what amazing people we are surrounded by. Maybe if we turned off the phone at dinner and looked into the eyes of our date, we would get to know them better. Maybe if we stopped judging others by a picture, we wouldn’t have to superficially “swipe” left or right. We have so many choices and options that it has become okay to not “commit”. Why commit to one person when we can have options on Tinder? Why accept the second date when you can just have five other first dates with other, possibly better options? I want to believe true romance is still alive, but in this digital age, it is hard to see it through such a tiny screen.
Thanks to smartphones, the Internet, and way too many apps, Cupid has gone technical. Think about it… have you ever said to someone, “I think they’re not together anymore; I haven’t seen many pictures of them on Facebook recently”. The need to Instagram and document every photo taken together, to keep our Facebook relationship status “updated”, and to share those romantic song quotes on Twitter has made our relationships not only digitally public but has prevented us from sharing our relationship with the one person that really matters: the other person. We don’t show the bad memories, the fights, or the tears on social media. We give the digital impression to everyone that what we have is “real” and genuine. Have we lost what is truly important? Who is the relationship more important to: your Facebook friends or you?
We want true love. I know we do, but it is so hard to find without the face-to-face contact that we secretly crave. We want connection, we want to find love, we want to be happy, but ultimately it is the technology around us that in the end is not helping this effort. Maybe if we put down the phone and keep our heads up once and while, we would not miss out on all the amazing people waiting to be met, discovered, and loved. Try it sometime.
Photo Sources:
http://41.media.tumblr.com/9293a03314474dac73534d357e414820/tumblr_my5az…
http://musingsofamedialover.tumblr.com/post/102286913927/100happydays-da…
http://wellandgood.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/tumblr_lz7x4nn8g41ros7q6o1_500_large.jpg