Relationship Pitfalls in the Digital Age
I was watching Back to the Future the other day, and an interesting thought popped into my head (besides wanting a DeLorean). Relationships in 1955 were much less complicated then they are now. Basically all George had to do was punch out Biff, dance with Lorraine at the Enchanment Under the Sea dance, and then they would live happily ever after. Did George have to worry about Lorraine’s “In a Relationship” Status with Biff? Did he have to read the “@TheRealBiff I like bad boys” twitter from Lorraine. Absolutely not!
Unfortunately, as I have recently discovered, dating in this digital age has all sort of pitfalls that our parents and the McFly’s never had to deal with. Here area a couple of them:
The Facebook Relationship Status Change
Declaring your relationship status on Facebook is probably more important of a statement than saying “I love you.” Think about it for a while. When you change your Facebook status, not only are you telling your boyfriend/girlfriend that you think that things are getting serious, you are also announcing it to your friends, family, and co-workers. The only other time that you would do such a thing is when you decide to send out wedding invitations.
Obviously, not reciprocating when your girlfriend/boyfriend indicates a relationship change is a suicidal move for your relationship. As much as you might enjoy the back and forth flirting with the single guy/girl at the office (Just a fictional example MG 
), you need to shut it down by changing your status (Actually where I work, having am “in a relationship status” seems to make you more attractive these days). Furthermore, if your partner is an avid Facebooker, but you are just a casual user, you need to stay on top of her profile in order that you don’t miss their change in status.
Embarassing Twitter/Facebook Posts
Consider this scenario: You had your third date with someone you like and things are going pretty good. During the middle of the week you get a nice email from her/him and then an accompanying facebook and/or twitter friend/follower invitation. Good news right? Yes, butttttttttt. . .
Remember the time you were out with your friends and you tweeted, “I could get lost for days in that cleavage. Good thing I took that motorboating safety class last summer? Or when your ex wrote on your wall, “last night reminded me of all the good times we had”? Yeah, you might want to considering deleting that kind of stuff, before accepting the invitation. Honesty is always the best policy, but sometimes omitting some graphic details will be the best course of action.
Forgetting to Delete your Internet History
Okay, now you have convinced your mate to make a visit to your place. As you prepare a romantic dinner in your kitchen, they ask if they can check their email. No big deal–except that when she types www.ho . . for her hotmail account, the auto complete on your computer suggests that she goes to www.hotmilfs.com. or when he comes over and checks his yahoo email account, www.yeastinfectioncures.com comes up. Talk about ruining the mood!!!
It’s called deleting cookies–look into it. Just deleting your history is not enough. If you use Internet Explorer or Firefox, press CTRL, Shift, and Delete at the same time and your problems will be solved.
The Electronic Leash–aka the Cell Phone
If Fred Flintstone decided to stay out a little late with the guys from the Water Buffalo Lodge, did he have to worry about getting a concerned phone cal from Wilma? Nope. But if you decide to go out after work with co-workers and will be an hour late, you better believe you will be getting a call or a text. And using the “I was in a bad cell phone reception area” or “I forgot to turn my phone back on” excuse will only work a maximum of one time.
Even if you are not doing something sinister, getting used to being connected 24/7 takes some time to get used to. Consider what you would say if you were shopping for your significant other’s birthday present and you get a call from them. What will you say you are doing?
In conclusion, having a relationship in this age of facebook and cell phones is a lost cause so you should just give up. Just kidding. Instead, I would argue that all of the above digital dilemmas can easily be maneuvered with some secret weapons. Namely loads of honesty, the ability to laugh at yourself, some basic computer skills, and throw in a dash of trust.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Filed under: Just for Fun
Great article!
You are so right about the facebook relationship status change. It seems like that is always what gets the most comments and reaction.
Don’t you prefer the Back-to-the-future type of relationship? Simple and very endearing, plus you don’t have to hear the girl/boy nag you all day for not texting or calling them for a day.
Relationships in this digital age feel so cold and lonely for some reason.
George was stressed out in the 50’s…he probably longed for the good old days of writing letters & horse-drawn carriages…one day we’ll look back at these days as (relatively) simple times.
@marina Great analysis!!!
Ha ha,
This post cracked me up. I wonder if people genuinely did have easier relationships. Life in general seems simpler in the 50’s but without the net I would be at a loss.
BTTF rocks
Forest.
[...] Brink presents Relationship Pitfalls in the Digital Age posted at The Red Stapler [...]
Hysterical!!!
My generation is on the border. We can go either way in the “techy” world but for all you younger ones this article is an eye opener and absolutely hilarious.
Relationship status on Facebook can be such a ball and chain. There’s no more carefree flirting since everyone and their mothers know you’re taken.
Yep… In the era of digital technologies we need normal human relationships so much…
Love marina’s comment! And fully agree!
so true people are relying so much using the internet for everything including meeting someone new. I think back when I was in high school with no cell phones or internet its hard to believe we didnt use any that stuff
You are so right! Dating got very complicated these days when IM (Instant Messaging) becomes the main way to communicate with one’s loved ones.
This is funny but so true. It kills me how everyone is so interested all of sudden when you are now in relationship smh.
Haha I like this post. I don’t think you should get too uptight about facebook statuses though. Defo delete history though
I’m laughing my heart out…I love your article… I miss those days when I send and receive love letters from my girlfriend. Technology has really gone a long way, from online dating to announcing your weeding on facebook, you could all do that with just a simple click.
What all these digital footprints and announcements do is to demonstrate the fact that it is now more important than ever before for couples to communicate with each other.
Gonna change your Facebook status? Discuss it with you significant other first. Agree the day you are going to do it on and then each of you has the opportunity to remove potentially unfortunate info from you pages.
As for surfing history, deleting history and cookies can be a pain because they do serve a useful purpose for you. Its easier to set up a guest account in windows.