The red and pink aisles are packed at every Walgreens and Target of people trying to buy the cutest card and sweetest chocolate for their loving companion.  It’s the season of love, and people are going crazy with over-priced chocolates and teddy bears.  With more people getting into relationships this time of year, dating has changed significantly over the years because of new technology.

Instead of actually “dating” or being “boyfriend and girlfriend,” many teens now have “things” or are “talking” to someone.  Society creates a fine line between having “a thing” and “dating.”  “Dating” and “having a thing” are basically just titles, and aren’t they technically the same thing?  I’ve heard so many people say that they are too afraid to commit, that’s why they will only have a “thing” and not actually “date.”  As I see it, it’s just a way to avoid being tied down to a single person.

New technologies are a threat to healthy relationships.  In most relationships, it is a must to text your significant other almost everyday, all day.  Snapchat best friends have also been known to cause problems in many relationships.  Jealousy conquers all when people would see a person from the opposite sex on their boyfriend or girlfriend’s Snapchat best friend’s list, but even Snapchat has addressed this issue, as in their recent update, you can not see people’s best friend’s list anymore.  I think Snapchat made the right decision by preventing further jealousy.  Most teens are paranoid now, because you can’t see who your companion is talking to, they can now flirt with another person without you even knowing, and that’s scary to some people.

Along with technological advancements, it’s clear that relationships aren’t as successful as they use to be.  Instead of people going on actual dates, they just watch Netflix or a movie, and instead of going up to the door to ring the doorbell for a “date,” the person simply just text “here” so they don’t have to get out of their car.  People talk on their phones either by texting or calling more than they talk in person.  By just texting how do you really know the person? You don’t, and this is why relationships aren’t as successful anymore.

Technology has changed relationships for the worse, and is only becoming a more prominent issue.  Things won’t be as good as they use to be unless we put down our phones, stop worrying about snapchat best friends, and actually have a face to face conversation.