It has affected how you connect, communicate, create and interact with each other.

Some of these changes have been for the best and others for the worst.

One specific aspect of technology that has changed is how we fall in love.

Back then, falling in love was an art.

It involved romance, mixtapes and poems written on napkins in bad handwriting.

Now it's a swipe or a text.

The romance of the past and many things along with it have died.

Let's explore how modern dating has changed us.

Before dating apps and late night suggestive texts, people knew they were in a relationship.

Why?

Well, aside from the love letters and loud public displays of affection, dating was pretty simple.

The person liked you, asked you on a date and that was that.

Meeting face to face made things personal and as a result, people were honest and upfront.

They couldn't hide behind an avatar, status or text.

People didn't have the veneer of social media to hide behind and as a result, you knew if someone really liked you or not.

Nowadays, it's not so easy to tell.

Life currently moves at a blindingly fast pace but everyone seems comfortable with the speed, passively scrolling by.

This same attitude happens in relationships.

Passive relationships that aren't defined become situationships.

Romantic relationships that lack commitment.

It is a penumbra, a hypothetical that is left unanswered and often without closure.

Modernity and technological advancement have brought many paradoxes.

The most obvious one is the endless means of achieving connection but few real honest connections.

Loneliness is an epidemic that affects all of us.

For those living in cities, it is greatly felt but loneliness can also exist in relationships.

Ironically, modernity has brought us online dating and with it, endless choices.

You can look for a potential partner within a 50 mile radius and find so many people who you share similarities with but out of those many people, how many do you actually create a connection with?

It's the paradox of choice.

When given too many options, you can't choose.

You make a choice under pressure without taking everything into account.

Back then, you were just dating the person in front of you.

There wasn't a queue of potential suitors standing behind your date.

There wasn't the pressure to make sure that person was the right one.

However, the endless options offered through online dating makes it difficult to choose someone because having an abundance of choice requires more effort to make a decision.

Thus, once we make our choice, we feel unsatisfied.

These feelings can haunt and damage relationships because it makes it difficult to settle on a person and have the disposition to foster a relationship With so many options, you choose someone but end up feeling unsatisfied with your choice.

You start to imagine what the relationship might be like with that other person whose profile you saw or what you should do if the current relationship doesn't work out.

Online dating, depending on the partner, relies heavily on virtual communication if it's a long-distance relationship more so.

Text messaging, FaceTime and chats rob you of the joy of having a face-to-face connection.

Conversation is more than just the words people exchange.

It's body language, tone and feel.

There are nuances in a conversation that a camera or text message will not capture and it is in these small gestures that you get to know someone better, learn their habits and tics.

Unfortunately, the reduced face-to-face interaction can hinder the development of essential social skills and create disconnects between what a person is like in real life and their online persona.

Something that modernity has provided us with is privacy, well, at least the illusion of it.

Social media helps us project a version of who we are or who we would like to appear as.

Consequently, we can hide behind the personas that we create.

But this disconnect between who we really are and who we appear to be has given free reign to our ego.

Technology makes it easier for people to hide who they really are so now they care more about how they look to others instead of just being themselves.

Many of us care more about how we appear to others than just being ourselves because we seek approval, fear criticism, compare ourselves to others, aim for success and are influenced by media ideals.

This has become problematic, especially in romantic relationships where honesty is important.

It has given rise to hook-up culture, greed and self-sufficiency in relationships and other scenarios where people no longer seek romantic partners to share part of their lives with but rather to fulfill specific needs.

Common examples include situationships and one night stands.

Number 5.

Trauma dumping Another testament to the rise in selfishness in relationships is trauma dumping.

Trauma dumping occurs when someone inadvertently unloads their very personal emotional burden on the listener without consent or any consideration for the listener.

In today's digital age, sharing online and getting quick support is more accessible which is good for seeking help but it's important to use the right places for support like support forums.

If we're not careful, we might think it's okay to dump our emotional problems on others like someone we're just starting to date without realizing how it could affect them.

The act of compromising someone and involving them in your trauma is a sign of a larger issue such as a lack of boundaries or unhealthy coping mechanisms.

While it may be difficult to walk around with an emotional burden that doesn't mean that any other person has to be in charge of it.

Online interaction via social media and online dating has without a doubt challenged and altered our approach to connection, relationships and finding love.

While technology has opened doors of opportunities for connection and compatibility, it has also confronted us with challenges both within the technology itself and as a society.

As technology continues advancing and society continues to embrace the advancements, we must take a step back and be reflective.

Navigate these new landscapes with caution and determination to figure out what will be the best course of action, not just now for us, but for generations to come.

In these new ever-changing technological terrains, we must learn to find a balance to ensure that our desire for connection and growth remains fulfilling.