Has Technology Ruined Relationships?

Written by Heather Lawrence. Media by Sara Dawson.

Whether you have met someone online to date or your whole life is based on a screen, we have let the Internet and social media control our lives. There have been some good and bad stories when it comes to online dating. However, the Internet has also interfered with how our personal relationships are with those we love. I can’t speak from experience with online dating, but I can when it comes to talking to people through the Internet. Has it ruined the deep connection that we can have through face-to-face communication?

When it comes to the topic of online dating, I have never been for it at all. I have seen it as a place where people exaggerate about who they really are. I have always preferred dating the old fashion way: Seeing the person face-to-face and hanging out to get to know them better. This is better than trying to get to know the person through a screen. I understand that the dating sites encourage people to meet up, but it’s not the same as physically seeing them and knowing what they look like. There are people that will upload a random picture so then you wouldn’t know what they actually look like.

The reason I push so hard for face-to-face communication is because I can see body language as well as facial expressions. I’m a very extroverted person and I love to meet people and get to know them that way, not through the computer screen or even a dating app. There are many different apps and sites such as Match, eHarmony, and Tinder. I will admit that these have popularity among people, but I do not use any. I can see how some people use them, but they believe that it’s so much easier. I don’t agree with this because nothing can replace the feeling of meeting someone in person for the first time and having warm feelings for them. I say this because it’s happened to me many times. So, I believe that face-to-face communication is best when trying to start a relationship. If you go online dating, you don’t know if that person is who they really say they are.

The other part of digital relationships that I want to touch on is the relationships we have with those we love. In today’s time, people are more likely to talk to people only online. The Internet has given us Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to talk to people and show how our lives are going. This is something that we feel is acceptable rather than physically talking to them. However, I do see why people need to do that because they may live across the country or even in another country and have to talk to others over the Internet.

But, I feel like if you can physically go and see the person, then go and actually talk to them! I have been guilty of doing this and not going to see family that lives an hour away. I text them or call them to see how they are doing.

Sometimes a group of people that are next to each other will only be talking on the phone. I have also been guilty of this but I am trying to get better at it. I have tried to not talk on my phone when I am with friends and family. I know that millennials are guilty of doing this at the dinner table or even when they are sitting next to each other. Technology has affected us in the way we talk to each other.

I truly do believe that technology has changed the way that we think about how we should talk to people. Online dating has taken away the way that we can feel when we actually see them in person. The same goes when we just want to chat with those around us. We need to learn at times to just put the phone down when we are with people and enjoy their company.