The pace of change that technology brought in around us is remarkable and life-changing. There has been a rapid introduction of brand new ideas, not only in the sphere of making life easier but also into our everyday relationships.
The digitization began with us finding news online. Soon after, the internet became the place for us to listen to the radio and watch TV, banking, booking a hotel, renting a place, eating food, dating people, ordering fashion accessories like nail polish set, booking a cab, and whatnot. Simultaneously, digitization also seeped into relationships creating both positive and negative impacts in digital human interaction.
While we talk about technology in relationships, let us look at the top five leverage ways it enhances our bonds.
1.’Intimate’ messages – An integral part of relationships
It was initially the MMS (Multimedia Messaging – SMSs with pictures) that arrived first. But soon, people working in the phone companies realized the actual use of this technology advancement. ‘Sexting,’ as it is popularly known, is now a fundamental part of many intimate relationships connecting couples when they’re in ‘long-distance’ relationships.
Texting, messages, sexting are a way of connecting those separated by distances and can’t travel conveniently. Many couples look at sexting as harmless fun and an addendum to the physical side of their connection.
But with the exceptions to the rule of sexting comes the ubiquity of sexting. Digital assets such as pictures, audios, gifs, and videos shared for the medium of intimate texting, once created, are stored forever in the cloud.
As a result, rejected partners, including both male and female, may share what was once shared with them by the other half, thus resulting in internet bullying where they share private moments with an audience who was not supposed to see them. Cases as such are clear, humiliating, embarrassing, and called out in multiple studies.
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2. Social Media and its Impact on Family and Friends
The social media platform called Facebook started only around a decade ago. This platform has essentially changed the way we relate to each other in this short duration of time. By simply creating a Facebook account and login into your account, old friendships can be renewed, despite how far away the two people are from each other.
We learn more about each other such as their likes, movie choices, and music preferences, simply by looking at their likes. We can also know their whereabouts, like where they went for vacation, restaurants, and cafes they recently visited, simply by checking their login activities and picture uploads.
Social media is a convenient way to rekindle old connections with old friends, colleagues, classmates, and even family members and particular relations and let us know and know what’s happening in each other’s lives.
3. Dating apps and their algorithms to help us find true love
Another salient feature of technological advancement of our age is internet dating. Almost 40% of all real-life marriages of Americans start online now. It’s fitting to find your true match by simply swiping right. However, people engaged in internet dating also face negative consequences such as ghosting. In this situation, a connection with whom you were having fun suddenly ‘ghosts’ you or disappears from your life.
As such, we can say that dating apps have their positive side to finding love and true relationships and the negative impact of being ‘ghosted’ or vanishing after a moment of fun.
4. Shared Bucket List for People in Relationships
Nowadays, couples in relationships have shared a bucket list where they periodically add things they want. Couples constantly add new things and ideas such as discovering a hobby, learning a new instrument or vehicle, crossword writers engaging in a game, date ideas, vacation ideas, or little things that they want to learn or experience together. These add up in the document to make the relationship feel lively and strengthen the bond.
5. A Relationship is Official if it’s Facebook Official.
In present times, if you digitally stand up in front of your collective hundreds (or thousands) of Facebook friends, it is believed that you and your partner are leaning into a relationship. It similarly helps you in earning your way out if the relationship is to end. Additionally, there is the added social pressure of not wanting to go back on your word. Hence, making your relationship Facebook official is principally like getting pre-married these days.
Conclusion
In modern times, we have no other choice but to accept digital technologies and their advances in our lives. Phone plans and smartphones are getting cheaper each year, and this journey has only just begun. But, with this in mind, it is essential to keep simple awareness of the downside of these technologies.
Doing so will help us in navigating the new waters. Users must remember that the new facilities prevail in both good and bad dimensions, as with any technology. Each of us has a crucial responsibility to play, and we must know the difference to make good use of technology.
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