Have Phones Become A More Important Part Of Modern Relationships Than We Think?
niharika nayakBA (Media & Communication) Experience: 4 yearsNiharika has a passion for all things art, music, and travel and has over 4 years of experience in writing for social media. During her spare time, she likes experimenting in the kitchen, playing vide... more
Phones are really special. They have a way of connecting us like nothing else can. With the advent of smartphones in the 1990s and their general adoption in the 2000s, it’s safe to say that we’ve grown dependent on these marvelous devices. Your smartphone helps you do everything from booking a doctor’s appointment to texting the ones you love. Plus, with the technology boom and internet age that we’re experiencing in this modern era, many of us are looking to find love via the internet. So here’s how dependent we’ve gotten on our phones in the modern era of online dating:
A Growing Dependency On Our Phones?
As upsetting as it is to admit, many of us are highly dependent on our phones. We’re dependent on them in a way that can also be detrimental to us. Whether or not we are hooked onto social media apps, we definitely make use of our phones for menial tasks like calculating and finding out directions. The phone has even replaced the handheld camera. With new phones come higher pixels and a more vibrant touch to our pictures.
We live in a rapidly evolving country and an even more rapidly evolving world. With new additions in technology every few days and advancements in the field of social media, it is no surprise that millennials carry most of their friend circles in the palm of their hand. However, one is often left wondering whether the friends we make online can be considered as real as the friends we make while say, traveling to school in the bus or while reading at your favorite library.
Online Versus Real Life
According to various studies, virtual friendships are shown as being instantaneous, gratifying, and less stable than friendships formed offline. Online friendships have also taken somewhat of a toll on people’s mental wellbeing and many find themselves addicted to social media and tend to distance themselves from their families and offline friends. As with any form of addiction, those who spend hours and hours on social media tend to face a lot of issues including carpal tunnel syndrome (from typing continuously), depression, low self-esteem, and body image issues.
Certain things trigger mental health issues in impressionable youngsters. For example, the hashtag #pro-ana or #ana brings up posts related to the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa. This disorder is predominant in young girls and almost always leads to death. While various platforms like Instagram and Facebook display a warning sign each time you search for these tags, they can easily be ignored. The user can continue and view images and posts related to these.
Leaving An Internet Footprint
In recent years hundreds of millions of people have left behind digital records of their social behavior as they interact via online communities like Facebook, Myspace & Twitter. These digital traces form a massive naturalistic data source that can address a wide variety of psychological questions.
We’re often left wondering what kind of impact we are leaving behind. Whether it is for us or our children. We wonder if years from now, we shall look back at these times and truly appreciate how good (or bad) we had it (1).
Love In The Time Of Corona
Many people looked towards online mediums of dating during the time of The Coronavirus. Considering you don’t get to meet the person and thus don’t risk the chance of infection, it appears to be the best option. While many have criticized online dating, it has proven to be an extremely easy way for like-minded individuals to connect. Whether they are looking to establish a relationship or merely “hang out once”, they can find it all.
It’s very interesting how our parents’ era of dating seems outdated. Those landline calls and stealthy glances. Watching movies at the theatre together and dining at small restaurants or “college addas”. It was a different time altogether. It is also interesting to find people you might never have encountered in real life online. Even if you’ve never tried online dating before and are newly single, why not give it a shot? It might just be an interesting change for you.
It’s safe to say that times have changed and so has dating as a concept. We often wish for those good old days to return but at the end of the day we end up being grateful that we exist in the modern era of smartphones. Who would want to go through the hardships that our parents’ generation went through, right? Many of us who have dealt with long-distance relationships have had to rely on our phones to keep in touch with our partners. It’s at times like this we realize how grateful we need to be. Do let us know your thoughts on this article in the comment section below.
