MARTIN: How Does Technology Affect Dating?

In the 21st century, we have seen major advances in technology as we know it. We have seen social media, Bluetooth, 3D printing and more. With that being said, we have also seen dating and relationships change in ways never before seen. You see couples with more posts together, pages together, and even YouTube channels together. With that being said, how does technology affect dating overall? Clearly, technology has both positively impacted and negatively impacted dating.

One way it has positively impacted dating is by making many more people accessible. With social media and new advances with phones, you can reach many more people than you ever could in the past. Dating platforms have increased and you can find direct dating sites and apps. Years before the advances, this was not possible at all. Most people met in person and exchanged numbers. Now, you can meet people from different regions and states. This has also made long distance dating very realistic for many. Calling, texting, FaceTime, and sharing of locations are part of the ways people build trust while dating long distance and technology has made that possible.

In contrast, in “No One Wants to Be Known as Tinder Girl,” Madeline Apple from the University of Michigan, shares this experience:

“Dating apps may have killed the college dating scene. Because it’s so easy to swipe left or right on a seemingly endless pile of potential partners, it’s become harder to actually meet anyone. As students, we are told over and over that college is a time for us to expand our social groups, to meet new people and grow into adults. But the indecisiveness that is built into dating app culture can stunt us.” So, for some the new dating apps and tactics are not the wave.

Technology also has made relationships very public. Couples that love to post or that share a great amount of their dating business on social media platforms have some negatives from it. For one, everything they do is public, regardless of if it is good or bad. They can rarely get privacy unless they go “ghost” and then their fanbase will wonder what happened. Secondly, they create this image for themselves even if they want it or not, so people expect them to live up to it. Basically, they become famous and now have the disadvantages of a famous couple.

Another negative is that technology really has impacted people’s thinking of dating. There are many perspectives that social media and other platforms have created. One is that everyone cheats. This is a direct effect of videos and texts that are posted almost everyday on the net. With that, many people look up to internet couples. This has flawed the way of thinking for many as they try to become someone that they are not. This also makes some look for the perfect person, which is not possible. Those predetermined thoughts have ruined dating for large amounts of people.

For all the positive and negative effects technology has had on dating and relationships, we have to remember that if it is meant to be then the relations will happen. If not, so be it. 

– De’Vante Martin is a sophomore mass communication major from St. Joseph, La.