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Essay / Examining the Influence of Technology on Romantic Entanglements
The challenge of finding a romantic partner is not new and it is a challenge that often requires help to be resolved. Modes of support have changed throughout history, but in our modern age, romantic help unsurprisingly comes in the form of technology, such as online dating platforms or chat rooms. The permanence of technology in dating and dating is unwavering. Among all U.S. heterosexual couples who met in 2009, a fifth said they first met online, twice as many as the number of couples who met in college (Orosz, Gabor) . Of the 54 million single Americans, 41 million have tried dating sites at least once (Orosz, Gabor). Each year, an average user spends $239 per year on online dating services (Orosz, Gabor). Therefore, the need to examine its potential risks and implications cannot be underestimated, as it is vital to realizing society's hope for healthier and happier romantic relationships. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Technology has undoubtedly made it easier than ever to meet a romantic partner. However, technology's gospel of convenience and comfort can pose problems for what has always been a vulnerable and intimate institution. For example, numerous studies have been conducted to examine the pervasiveness of dating violence perpetrated through technological means. Additionally, with technology now playing a central role in building and strengthening relationships, self-disclosure is now a major concern, particularly among adolescents. Additionally, online communication now presents a new, more covert way of being unfaithful in relationships. Thus, with the increasing prevalence of online dating platforms, society needs to fully examine the effects this may have on romantic relationship dynamics, particularly in the areas of dating violence, self-disclosure and of infidelity. a product of today's overbooked and overstimulated world. Before the modern era, arranged marriages were the norm of "matchmaking" in most of the world, and a romantic relationship arose secondarily, if at all. Until recent history, couples married young, and if a person remained single beyond their early twenties, there was a serious social stigma attached, and such individuals were often considered undesirable (Flug, 2016 ). However, with the advent of the printing press in 1685, singles were then able to publish advertisements for personal encounters in newspapers (Flug, 2016). However, it was not until the 1930s and 1940s that dating began to be separated from courtship, and for the first time, dates were not considered an intention to marry (Flug, 2016) . Although this thinking persists in the modern era, it is now accompanied by an increased desire to pursue a career, to marry later, and a lesser emphasis on the institution of marriage as a whole. With today's individuals busier than ever with their professional responsibilities, traditional dating norms simply take up too much of their valuable time. In the 1990s, the speed dating trend emerged, providing a quick and convenient way for busy, work-focused people to find a romantic relationship.Lives are changing rapidly and individuals no longer have the time for old-fashioned courtship (Tønder, 2008). The advent of the Internet in 1985 grew in popularity, as did this new dating trend, and eventually the two coincided, giving rise to the first online dating platform. Sites now cater to specific groups of individuals such as Black People Meet, Christian Mingle and Farmers Only, and more recently the advent of the dating app has allowed singles to meet countless other singles from a simple swipe of their screen, depending on the desired geographic area. area and age group. Online dating has essentially replaced the need for old-fashioned dating, and whether this substitution is positive or negative, its results must be evaluated. The rise of technology has created a new avenue of social interaction; one that studies show could be used for negative purposes such as dating violence. Electronic aggression and cyberbullying must today be considered major public health problems, since from 2000 to 2005, a 50% increase in online harassment was reported (Draucker, Martsolf, 2010). In an ongoing qualitative study titled “Teen Dating Violence: Developing a Theoretical Framework,” data is being collected describing how dating violence plays out via technology, in this case, among adolescents . One of the most significant instances of dating violence involves surveillance or control of a partner's activities or movements (Draucker, Martsolf, 2010). In this data collection, examples included cases in which one partner checked on the other by calling and texting, often multiple times. For example, a woman's partner called her 80 times a day when she was leaving for college (Draucker, Martsolf, 2010). Likewise, individuals will often reduce their activities in order to avoid an avalanche of calls and messages from their disgruntled partner. Likewise, dating violence via surveillance often results from a partner repeatedly scanning text messages, calls, voicemails, etc. of his partner (Draucker, Martsolf, 2010). If infidelity is suspected or noted, violence often ensues. On the other hand, a scenario is also considered dating violence if one partner limits the other's access to themselves, for example by ignoring calls and texts, blocking social networks or even by changing your phone number (Draucker, Martsolf, 2010). Finally, “young people also described how technology was used to end a relationship and, in fact, most of those who described this experience did so in a “factual” way, indicating that it is "This was a common way of ending relationships among teenagers today." (Baker, Carreño, 2015). Although these findings do not support the claim that technology increases dating violence, they nevertheless affirm that technology has changed relationship dynamics. Additionally, the increase in online dating corresponds with an increase in questions surrounding self-disclosure, as individuals begin to seek relationships with individuals they do not know offline. “Self-disclosure has been defined as any message about oneself that an individual communicates to another” (Gibbs, Ellison, Lai, 2011). Communication through technological means allows individuals to present themselves selectively, which consequently leads them to question.