Tech's Impact on Relationship Dynamics

In the past, the only way to meet new people was either in person or through someone you knew. This limited the dating and friendship quite a bit, but times are changing. Today, online dating and social media are the new normal. 

Despite what rom-coms will have you believe, meeting someone online through a dating platform is nearly the default. Forget meet-cutes. Today, it’s all about sites and apps offering a new way to meet people digitally. In 2010, over 20% of heterosexual couples met online. At the time, online dating was only just catching on. In fact, over 40% of couples meet online. 

What do these statistics mean about our society? More importantly, how are tech startups helping and changing relationship dynamics in 2020 and beyond? In this guide, we’ll answer these questions and more. 

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1. More Choice

Tech is changing the dating game. Since the first internet browser was released, online dating has been a thing.  Soon after, social media took center stage. Today, both are forces to be reckoned with. 

Remember the days of blind dates, speed dating, and other relationship networking events? These are few and far between today, and with good reason. While it used to be challenging to meet people outside of your social circle, it’s now possible with just a few taps today. 

With this increased dating (and friendship) pool comes the introduction of choice. In the past, dating or befriending someone outside of your immediate circle wasn’t common. That meant people tended to stay without their socio-economic class, location, and so on. Nowadays, there’s more choice thanks to tech startups. With choice comes more diversity. 

2. New Forms of Communication

Not only do people have more ways to meet others, but the way we interact is changing. Today, it’s no longer common to pick up the phone and give someone a call. In fact, young people are increasingly skeptical of phone calls! 

What are we left with instead? The list is seemingly endless. From DM-ing strangers to 10-second stories, we no longer communicate in the same ways. These new forms of interaction are convenient and help us stay in touch over long distances. 

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3. Overcoming Boundaries

Last but not least, there’s been one clear challenge to the rise of these tech startups. Typical social media and dating apps don’t encourage transparency. Many people craft online “personas” due to social pressure from apps like Instagram. 

With all of this pressure to look perfect online, how do we form authentic relationships? Being able to communicate is becoming more challenging with these added boundaries. Though we might have more ways to keep in touch than ever before, how do we break down these social media walls?

This is a question for tech startups in 2020. New technology like blockchain offers one potential solution, but this is only just getting started. Today’s tech startups are using creative thinking to put the communication back in social media and dating apps. 

The Future of Relationship Dynamics

From dating apps to social media, we now use the internet to bridge connections across the globe. However, new startups are questioning how authentic these relationships are. Social media isn’t always transparent, so how can we use it as a foundation for tomorrow’s communication?

It’s undeniable that technology is transforming our relationships. While we don’t know the way forward, we do know there’s no going back. Where will 2020 take us?