Final Essay

Since the dawn of the Internet and development of digital technology and social media, countless industries and aspects of life have been fundamentally and permanently changed. Rheingold (1993) posits “There are those who see computers and the internet as a positive force that will foster greater communication and better access to education, promote global understanding, and make the world a better place to live” whereas Stoll (1994) states that “Other suggest that computer technology will promote impoverished relationships, isolation of people within families and distancing between families and the outside world” (Hughes & Hans, 2001). People’s relationships, as Stoll mentions, are one aspect of life that has been hugely impacted by this technological

One of the biggest changes it has made is the elimination of proximity as a factor in finding a partner. Before the internet and online media, realistically you could only meet and date people who were geographically close to you, but now people can start a relationship with anyone, anywhere in the world. In addition to that, because the internet and social media now allows us to share photos, videos, and links instantly, relationship development and intimacy can be improved (Schade, Sandberg, Bean, Busby, & Coyne, 2013) Another benefit is that it has opened up the world of online dating and more currently, dating apps. Through this people no longer have to meet/socialize in person and it can be done at a safe, controlled distance. This is beneficial because it provides people who are socially introverted a medium through which they can meet new people and get to know one another in a way that is not through face-to-face interaction (Brown,

“This preference fore the distance, control, and anonymity provided by online communication can lead to more Internet use which, in turn, leads to negative personal outcomes in social settings (Schade, Sandberg, Bean, Busby, & Coyne, 2013). In addition, although texting can be a positive thing for relationships in certain contexts, when using it to regulate or reprimand your partner, it has negative associations with relationship quality.

One of the biggest issues that has risen from the development of social media and online dating platforms is the whole idea of “catfishing”. The verb “catfish” comes from a documentary created in 2010 that tells the story of Nev Shulman, an average guy, who had tracked down a woman named Megan on Facebook with whom he had met and started an online relationship. But when they actually met in person, she ended up being a someone completely different from the person she had presented herself to be online (different name, age, weight, marital status, etc), and as it turns out, had created a fake persona online including a fake family and friends, which she used to connect with Shulman (Hill, 2013). This was really the start of the whole catfishing phenomenon. Simply put, catfishing or to catfish someone, is the act of creating an online account/profile/persona that is different from your real