The Struggles Relationships Face with New Technology

By Madelyn McCarthy

Dating has changed drastically with time. It would be laughable to see someone with suitors, courtship, fathers being involved with picking husbands, or money being a blinding factor when marrying. Now we have online dating, social media postings, and texting. There were and always will be difficulty with dating. I believe technology has added tremendously to the struggle of trust and connections between couples in the modern era. With the added areas of jealousy from followers, likes, and texts along with less of a connection between the partners; technology is taking a toll on relationships that have already passed the "talking" stage.

We are moving away from thinking of marriage and life long partners to easy and simple hookups. Technology has made the beginning stage of a relationship much easier because of texting, phone calls, and FaceTime adding different features to a relationship. New ways to connect with your partner brings a stronger foundation. You can stay updated on your partners life without having to see them every day with the advances in technology. With this constant ease of knowing what and where your significant other is through updates from a text, tweet, or Instagram, oddly, an added sense of disconnect can sometimes occur.

Dating around our parents age was more personal. There was not the added pressure to be the top couple on Instagram or cute screenshots of your texts on Twitter. People use social media as a way of updating their relationships. There is a large part of online reputation for not only yourself but as a duo. The pressure from social media can add up. Also, social media has become a way of alerting people about important things between the couple. Marriages and even babies are first announced online now. The downfall to the constant updating is when a relationship ends. Social media needs to be alerted because it is such an important part of our lives. People are using texting and social media sites to end a relationship. The personal aspect of breaking up is gone and can be easily done with technology.


Another downfall to having more options of connecting with your boyfriend/girlfriend online is the jealousy that comes with social media. Most people can accept that posting a picture or following someone is just a way of adding to your online persona and is not a huge deal to you. When adding a significant other into your life and online pages it can get a bit more complicated. Dating now involves liking each others pictures, tweeting each other, and posting a cute puppy video on their Facebook wall. Some couples get carried away with the online aspects of their relationship. They begin to track who is liking their partners pictures or who is following them. This can lead to fights and lack of trust in a relationship. Before technology no one had to worry about this kind of aspect of a relationship. Trust now includes who you follow or becomes friends with online. Texting can even lead to the fall out of a relationship because there is more ease to contact someone without having to make it obvious. Of course with great trust in your partner, many couples overcome the small bits of jealousy from social media.


 Besides the lack of trust technology adds to a relationship in today's society, it also can lead to bad habits. Many people, in a relationship or not, are constantly on their phones when they are out with friends or family. This habit stays with people who are in a relationship as well. In today's society addiction to our technological devices is very prominent. The constant use of cell phones and tables leads to a lack of connection between people. Relationships are lessened by the use of technology because the attention to the other person is not always put before a phone call. A loss of interest can come sooner because technology is getting in the way of advancing some relationships. With children already being addicted to technology at a young age of even seven, it will be interesting to see how relationships continue to change and adapt to using technology. Hopefully, the constant updating of technology does not diminish the human connections we need.