How does technology Smart phones and social networking sites affect romantic relationships

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How Does Technology/Smart Phones and Social Networking Sites Affect Romantic Relationships?

Introduction

Electronic means of communication has redefined the way people interact with one another. Social networking, e-mail, internet forums, and instant messaging have added completely new meaning to inter-personal interaction. In the course of time, internet-based communication has evolved its unique set of non-verbal communications. Similar to every other communication technology, it has been adapted into daily life and daily communication. Contemporary technologies have transformed the way that individuals communicate with one another especially in romantic relationships. These technologies offer innovative and new ways for persons seeking romantic relationships to communicate via text messaging, chat, e-mail, as well as social networks. These technologies facilitate speedy and more efficient means to build relationships. On the other hand, contemporary technologies may also bear negative effects such straining relationships as well as limited personal contact. The nature of the effects depends in mainly on the kind of relationship. The exposure of young people to social network sites such as Facebook MySpace, and Friendster is increasing, along with the likelihood for such engagement to generate problems in romantic relationships (Sudweeks 105). This paper posits to investigate how technology/smart phones and social networking sites affect romantic relationships.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sudweeks, G. Culture, Communication, Technology: Moving Towards an Inter-cultural Universal Village, New York: University of New York Press.2002. Print.

According to Sudweeks, the negative effects demonstrated by the internet in regard to romantic relationships are demonstrated in the perception of Jewish rabbis, who in 2000 proclaimed a proscription of the Internet in every Jewish home. The rabbis affirmed that the internet was increasingly more hazardous than television. The television had suffered outlawing thirty years earlier. The Council described the Internet as the most widespread source of temptation. The Council proclaimed the internet as a lethal poison, which obliterates the human soul. According to Sudweeks, the rabbis judged the internet as a disgrace.

Barak, R. “Commitment versus Anonymity: The Hazard of Education on the Internet”, Information and Ethics 1. 2(2008): 21. Print.

According to the author, the Internet promotes western lifestyles. A greater part of the websites exhibit different characteristics of the western society whereby romantic relationships are more or less casual. This has made individuals in other parts of the world to perceive the West as a place of absolute freedom. This is in relation to the fact that in the predominantly Muslim and conservative parts of the world, romantic relationships can only be based on the cultural norms. These cultural norms are regarded as outdated by the contemporary youth.

Inglehart, R. Culture Shift in Sophisticated Industrial World, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 2001. Print.

According to the Inglehart, as a result of the Internet, different less developed countries have become vulnerable to foreign prevailing cultures. The state of affairs has over the years provoked the attention of scholars in the developing countries. The majority of these scholars happen to be apprehensive that indigenous ways of life may be homogenized. They have as a result presented proposals to respond to the apparent cultural invasion.

Lusoli, F. “Mobilization & Participation Online: Hope, Reality & Hype”, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 56. 2(2009): 52. Print.

According to Lusoli, participation in online romantic relationships rarely occurs in the less affluent sections of the society. The author depicts the Internet access as imbalanced among the populace. The author alleges that Internet access is concentrated amongst young persons from the affluent sections in society. This may be generally referred to as an indication of the digital divide.

Loumakis, D. “Who Participates & Why? An Investigation of Citizens Use of the Internet”, Social Science I.T Review 21. 1(20011): 27. Print.

According to Loumakis, the digital divide leads to a concentration of technology and smart phones in the same hands. This means that people, who are inclined to be active in online romantic relationships, also possess access to contemporary technology such as smart phones. They are yet the same persons who benefit from other opportunities accessible over the Internet.

Social Networking Sites and Romantic Relationships. It is essential to investigate whether social networking sites cause romantic relationships to be detrimental. It is evident that social networking sites facilitate persons in romantic relationships to discover more information concerning their partner than they may be able to find out in the absence of utilization of social networking sites. It is usually easy to evaluate what kind of person someone may be, based on how the person interacts with other people through social networking sites. This is possible devoid of having any tangible physical evidence. It is also possible for persons in romantic relationships to monitor each other, through comments, wall posts, as well as photos posted online. On the other hand, this monitoring may also lead to over analysis of issues, whereby matters are taken out of context. This usually results into jealousy, which may be the termination of a romantic relationship (Lusoli 52).

Little is known concerning the overlaps between the offline and online worlds. Several scholars have investigated the links between the intrusion from social networking sites, jealousy that occurs in romantic relationships, as well as outcomes of romantic relationship that are online based. It has become evident that intrusion from social networking sites is linked to frustrations in romantic relationships, through jealous cognitions as well as surveillance behaviors. The outcomes from several studies demonstrate that, the likelihood of high levels of intrusion from social networking sites overflowing into romantic relationships, results in problems such as dissatisfaction and jealousy. The outcomes have connotations for romantic relationships and for users of social networking sites in general. Contemporary technologies facilitate persons in romantic relationships to be in contact with one another than previously. This may lead to heightened expectations as well as conflict. With the rising use of smart phones and email, persons in romantic relationships usually expect an instant answer to communication. A deferred answer or none at all usually leads to anger and suspicion (Loumakis 27).

Romantic Partners Get To Know Each Other Faster. The brilliant thing in relation to the internet is that romantic partners can be connected at all times. Such partners are always obliged to update their profiles in the social networking sites with all of the most minuscule fragments of information, upload every favorite headshots for profile photographs, create folders for their vacations and even share recent events by means of smart phones uploads. Such partners permit their followers and friends know just about everything concerning them. This sharing of information contributes to the speed at which people get to know their romantic partners. Through cyber-stalking, people can access immense details concerning other people than they would learn on their first date. The substantial amount of information makes partner feel as though they have known each other for a long time. This helps partners in bonding as well as the existence of deep emotional attachments following brief dating episodes (Barak 21).

Romantic partners constantly connect with minimal effort. 

Prior to the internet dawn, it used to be difficult for persons in romantic relationships to stay connected. Romantic partners in long distance relationships were forced to write letters, or make phone calls. Nowadays, most of such persons can text with their phones, utilize g-chat on their smart phones or mobile devices. They may also stay connected by chatting through social networking sites and messages. However, this constant communication may as well have negative effects. People lose the factor of mystery by talking so much to their partners in the premature stages of a romantic relationship. This may even make several people feel as if they are being regularly monitored, and this leads to feelings of antipathy (Inglehart 68).

Demerits of technology/smart phones and social networking sites in romantic relationships.

Most people in romantic relationships generally feel that taking their relationships lead to the bedroom prematurely. As a result of a number of surveys, women demonstrated that, they need a few months prior to progressing into more physical romantic relationships. However, topical studies show that women who find themselves in intense contact with their romantic partners through social networks may decide to engage in sexual relationships after a small number of dates. This is probably as a result of the amount of information people have access to through technology/smart phones and social networking sites (Sudweeks 105). Technology/smart phones and social networking sites have made matters appalling for numerous individuals in the event of break-ups in the romantic relationships. During a romantic relationship, several people choose to deeply engrain their romantic partners in the social networks. These partners are found on their friends’ list on social networking sites. Consequently, it may prove to be difficult to maintain proper distance following a breakup. It does not help in coming to terms with emotional attachments if one sees their former romantic partners’ profile image, or the photographs from their most recent vacations. It is evident that former partners in a romantic relationship would not desire an instant update from their former partners to the effect that they are currently claiming a new online relationship status. The problem comes when even though one partner may have deleted their former partner from their friend list, they might stumble upon their remarks on another friends’ status.

CONCLUSION

On the whole, the links between technology/smart phones and social networking sites, and romantic jealousy, as well as relationship dissatisfaction are concerns for young adults who attempt to maintain rewarding intimate relationships. Even though feelings of social relationships may improve psychological wellbeing, there are consequences to individuals as well as their intimate relationships, if they build up a dependence on technology/smart phones and social networking sites for these positive results. In addition, as more people, most of whom are liable to have long-term, romantic relationships, enter the world of social networking sites, there is an increasing likelihood that these relationships may possibly become stressed and influenced by dissatisfaction and jealousy. Future studies may explore the degree to which a partner’s high or involvement with social networking sites increases or buffers against the impact of such usage on their romantic relationship.

Works Cited

Barak, R. “Commitment versus Anonymity: The Hazard of Education on the Internet”, Information and Ethics 1. 2(2008): 21. Print.

Inglehart, R. Culture Shift in Sophisticated Industrial World, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 2001. Print.

Loumakis, D. “Who Participates & Why? An Investigation of Citizens Use of the Internet”, Social Science I.T Review 21. 1(20011): 27. Print.

Lusoli, F. “Mobilization & Participation Online: Hope, Reality & Hype”, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 56. 2(2009): 52. Print.

Sudweeks, G. Culture, Communication, Technology: Moving Towards an Inter-cultural Universal Village, New York: University of New York Press.2002. Print.