New Age Dating

As much as it makes me gag, I must agree with a recent New York Times article on long distance relationships in today’s internet world. Reporter, Abigail Moore, gives a glimpse into the lives of multiple college aged couples who are currently in long distance relationships. The article’s concluding theme emphasizes how the internet is influencing relationships.

Now, you may say “Of course it is.” Since online dating sites come up with all kinds of creative new approaches, curiosity leads even the most antagonistic single person to snoop around such services. We see commercials and hear ads for tons of online dating services like eHarmony, Match.com, and PlentyofFish.com every day. But aren’t websites like Facebook and Skype turning into more frequently used dating sites than these others?

As I get older, I am starting to see how technology influences more parts of my life. To witness my four year old nephew become a master of “Angry Birds” is just one example. I know it must be even more exaggerated for older generations. My father always likes to point out how my brother and I never need to read the instructions manual to know how to use a new cell phone. Technology is meant to influence how we learn and expand our capabilities, but now we count romantic relationships among things the internet touches as well.

Email, Facebook, Skype, iChat, and many other services find a following by helping people keep in touch with others. And what we may not realize they are also doing, is helping maintain long distance relationships. A long distance couple determined to beat the odds will rely heavily on these forms of communication.

Skyping for hours instead of making a phone call or writing a piece of snail mail has become the norm for romances. Facebook lets couples chat like they were sitting next to each other and stay updated with pictures. So many technologies like these are lurking into the development of children entering adulthood. As much as Mark Zuckerberg wanted to make an impression on the world with Facebook, or Tony Bates with Skype, I don’t think they realized how they might be changing the dynamic of dating.