Relationships and technology have become intertwined. With the age of computers, new situations have arisen. When my father was in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, he video chatted my family and I on a routine basis. Although we did not physically see each other for months on end, we managed to remain close. Technology has reshaped ways we communicate, given new opportunities, made dating easier, as well as created a sense of dissatisfaction in relationships. A hundred years ago, the telephone was impractical. Today, we can not leave our houses without having the assurance it provides in our pocket. Matt Petronzio, editor of Mashable, and an individual who addressed the United Nations declared, “58% of Americans today own smartphones (Petronzio).”
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Breaking up, as found by the Pew Research center, “Teens consider the text message breakup to be socially undesirable, but a sizeable number of teens with relationship experience have been broken up with— or have broken up with others — using text messaging” (Lenhart). Texting has made ending a relationship easier. Instant messaging has made the everyday communicating simpler as well. Actions only require the touch of a button, instead of more demanding physical actions. Gone are the days of writing letters, and traveling to talk to someone. In this age, relationships are easier. Dissatisfaction in relationships due to technology has also arisen. Comparisons between other relationships have made people want the relationships that others have. The old statement “the grass is always greener on the other side” holds true in this age. Alex Lickerman MD, who formerly was Vice President of Student Health at the University of Chicago, declared, From pornography to merely surfing the web, the Internet is clearly the television of the 21st century, an electronic drug that often yanks us away from the physical world. Like any addiction, the real cost, for those of us who are truly addicted, is to the number and quality of our relationships with others
Breaking up, as found by the Pew Research center, “Teens consider the text message breakup to be socially undesirable, but a sizeable number of teens with relationship experience have been broken up with— or have broken up with others — using text messaging” (Lenhart). Texting has made ending a relationship easier. Instant messaging has made the everyday communicating simpler as well. Actions only require the touch of a button, instead of more demanding physical actions. Gone are the days of writing letters, and traveling to talk to someone. In this age, relationships are easier. Dissatisfaction in relationships due to technology has also arisen. Comparisons between other relationships have made people want the relationships that others have. The old statement “the grass is always greener on the other side” holds true in this age. Alex Lickerman MD, who formerly was Vice President of Student Health at the University of Chicago, declared, From pornography to merely surfing the web, the Internet is clearly the television of the 21st century, an electronic drug that often yanks us away from the physical world. Like any addiction, the real cost, for those of us who are truly addicted, is to the number and quality of our relationships with others