By Natalia Tomczak
Opinions Editor
Gone are the days of love letters, carrier pigeons and messages in bottles. Here are the days of targeted instagram notes, Hinge and direct messages. We’re maintaining more correspondences than ever, and we’re not worse off for it.
Romance in the digital age is not dead, it is evolving. With the liberty of choice and the freedom of the internet, love is abundant.
“This reminded me of you” is contemporary poetry, and it is everywhere in the digital age. How amazing is it that we get to send each other pictures and videos from our day, or that we get to send memes and news updates so easily?
Instagram is a great channel for low risk invitations. Liking and replying to Instagram stories are subtle ways to start low pressure conversation or express interest in what someone is up to. The most delusional of Instagram users use Instagram notes to drop specific messages through songs and hope that the receiver gets the message.
We’ve all become a bit like Gatsby, but instead of throwing parties hoping Daisy will notice, we share songs on Instagram notes, add to our close friends’ store and repost hyperspecific messages. Over-analysts and romantics are thriving.
Displays of yearning have changed. Courtship itself used to be considered more of a family matter, but greater freedom of choice and movements of liberation have allowed people to pursue connections of their own. Marriage is not the goal anymore as much as love is.
Dating is reinvented by youth culture, not adult standards and the digital realm is a playground. It is so accessible to message anyone online, that people are way more hesitant before they shoot their shot. And, it is far more common to exchange social media than it is to pass someone a phone number. Besides, having lived through the pandemic, communicating online became the norm and rejection became more intimidating.
At the end of the day, authentic connection requires vulnerability and imperfection. It can often be easier to open up over text, and messages can be more thoughtful and coherent without the pressure and anxiety there can be in person.
There’s also the fun of exploring texting chemistry. Do they use emojis? Double text? How long does it take them to respond? What’s their tone? Who initiates conversation? All of these details are indicators of digital body language and ways we read compatibility.
Sharing music has always been a quintessential part of love, and online music platforms make it super easy. Sharing music through Spotify, or even sharing Letterboxd and Goodreads accounts, are cute ways people can get to know likes and dislikes on a deeper level thanks to these apps.
I am a big proponent of pursuing love for the sake of pursuing love, even if it might seem messy, unwise or scary. Recklessly, repeatedly, fall in love in the digital age.
