The most significant aspect of the past few generations is the emergence and rapid evolution of technology. Everything has gone digital and this has transformed our lives significantly. The revolution that technology brought about, particularly as regards how we connect, communicate, and form relationships.
This explains why modern love has undergone a remarkable transformation with a strong influence from social media. No matter your location, technology has made it possible to engage in virtual interaction and date from a far.
But then, the influence of tech on love today has created challenges cultivating real and meaningful connections. This blog will take a look at the multifaceted impact of technology on modern love and discuss strategies to foster authentic connections in a tech-dominated epoch.
Statistics on Technology and Modern Love
- According to a report, 67% of Indians use online dating apps. This is the highest percentage of any country in the world.
- The same report stated that 30% of Indian couples met online. This number is expected to increase to 50% by 2025.
- A Survey revealed 80% of Indians believe that technology has made it easier to find love. However, 60% also believe that technology has made it harder to form real connections.
- Another survey disclosed that 50% of Indians say that they have experienced catfishing, which is the act of creating a fake online profile in order to deceive someone.
Virtual Love
Before the end of the 20th Century, there was limited prospect for people to one another from afar successfully. In fact, those who have loved people across countries and continents far apart would tell a lot of negatives about such a situation. For some, a long distance relationship or love is a big No-No.
With the advent of technology, especially social media, people have been enabled to love virtually. This means that individuals are able to develop romantic feelings for someone they’ve never met in person. It is safe to say that through virtual love, many people have found true love and made lifetime commitments despite socio-cultural and time zone differences. We owe technology this incredible level of advancement.
However, while virtual love offers a sense of excitement and possibilities, it can also lead to disappointment or deception. This is because online personas may differ from reality. What you see sometime is not what you get when you are in love. As a result, many people, especially the 80s babies, are skeptical about it. For the Gen-Z, nonetheless, it’s one of the ways to go.
Dating Apps: A Double-Edged Sword
Dating apps are some of the products of Information communication technology that continue to redefine how we meet new people. They offer an opportunity to explore and find people who have specific attributes we are looking for in a relationship. In real life, you may never meet the person that fits the frame of your prospective lover. The convenience and efficiency that come with dating apps or websites are unmatched till date.
On the flipside, people may provide untrue information about themselves online. After you initiate a virtual relationship, such dishonesty may begin to unfold. Besides, the “gamification of dating”, so to speak, can foster a disposable mentality, where potential partners are treated as commodities to be swiped left or right. These two instances show just how difficult it can be to cultivate genuine connections.
Mindfulness in Relationships
Now, there is one negative way that technology has influenced modern love. This is the accessibility to boredom killers like social media, games, and other forms of entertainment. You need not more than your smartphone to stay in your quite space for several hours.
This, in no small measure, has been detrimental to modern love. Little wonder many relationships break faster than they were initiated! Rather than reduce screen time, more and more people tend to look forward to the newest boredom killer online.
Therefore, to navigate the negative influence of technology’s boredom killers, mindfulness is a must amongst couples today. In other words, we all need to be mindful or aware of how our digital habits and how they can overshadow real-life connections. The fastest route to staying present and attentive to our loved ones is by putting the phone aside during face-to-face interactions.
Building Trust Online
No one can argue with the fact that trust is the bedrock of any successful relationship. People use to strive to maintain it in a relationship in the not too distant past. But in this time and digital age, trust can be both easily gained and easily shattered.
As such, being honest and transparent in our online interactions and respecting each other’s boundaries are vital in establishing and maintaining trust. Once you have got the trust of someone, do everything you can to nurture it. It is crucial for you to remember that anything shared online can have real-world consequences on our relationships.
Balancing Technology and Real-Life Connections
Without a doubt, technology offers myriad ways to connect and enjoy smooth communication across borders. The importance of real-world interaction however cannot be overstated.
Therefore there is need for us to spending quality time with loved ones in person. This offers an opportunity for physical intimacy and eye contact. These are irreplaceable actions that strengthen real connection and build stronger bonds.
But when we are apart from our loved ones, we can leverage ICT innovation to stay connected with them. In short, striking a balance between digital communication and in-person interactions is crucial to cultivating real connections.
Well, at this point we may yet be unable to automate love, irrespective of the huge influence of technology on modern love. This is a great thing because we need to first manage some of its negative influences on modern love.
Thank You🙏
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