The Internet has completely changed our lives, the way we relate to each other, the way we inhabit the world. And although it seems that it has been with us forever, it is only a young adult who has already left an indelible mark on the history of humanity. Love, as the most transcendental of all feelings, has also been affected. Love in the times of the Internet!
Vintage: 1870
Fermina Daza, the beautiful character of Gabo in his novel “Love in the Time of CholeraOn the night her father gave her permission to attend her first adult dance, she asked her fiancé, Florentino Ariza, if he would consent to her attending the dance. At that time he was playing cards in a plaza in Cartagena and was told that he had an urgent telegraph call from Fonseca, La Guajira.
Fonseca's telegraph operator had set up seven intermediate stations for her to ask for permission, "…but once she got it, she was not satisfied with the simple affirmative answer, but asked for proof that it was indeed Florentino Ariza who was operating the manipulator on the other end of the line. More astonished than flattered, he composed a phrase of identification: “Tell him that I swear it to you by the crowned goddess.” Fermina then recognized the password.
Vintage: 2020
Jota is 395 kilometres away from his girlfriend, with whom he has been in a relationship for five years. While she prepares his dinner, he accompanies her. The conversation revolves around what they have experienced, each in their own city, during that day.
—That red dress looks really good on you, I didn't remember how beautiful you look —he says while she blushes a little and accepts, with a slight smile, the compliment. During that day they have exchanged a couple of messages and some audios. In the afternoon while Jota was in a meeting, she consulted him about the results of some exams that she received via email. —Nothing serious, fortunately —says N, in a message via Whatsapp at 3:46 pm; —Ok, see you tonight —he answers two minutes later.
Jota and N see each other every night and talk, on average, three times a day. She usually knows how he dresses for work and he usually knows how her face looks with makeup on every day. These two, lovers in the digital age, see each other physically one weekend a month for the past five years.
Love and its scenarios
According to a study conducted by the dating app BlindLove 6 out of 10 couples start their relationship online. While this was always a possibility a decade ago, with the emergence of social networks, it is now a reality that tends to grow.
For Colombian psychologist Carolina Macias, this is a situation that is part of the rule and not the exception; in some way, the digital transformation and the speed with which it occurs has made it increasingly safer and easier to find someone online to share a relationship with.
A like, a link to a song, a dedicated post on social networks, are now the norm in a world where we can do everything virtually: pay bills, monitor the home, apply for a loan, study, etc. Winning someone over has also found its place and proof of this are the various applications for doing so. match with someone we are interested in.
But the essence is always the same when it comes to love: letters, telegraphs, telephones, pagers, cell phones, smartphones and computers have made it easier for millions of relationships to be consolidated over time; but never to the extent that we can do it today by having that almost physical presence despite the distance.
“The Internet has broken down barriers such as class and ethnicity and now you can choose from hundreds of profiles" explains the Spanish sociologist Francesc Núñez and adds that “It may seem easier because you don't have to show your face, you can hide your embarrassment, you have time to respond, to edit yourself. Flirting from home also means not having to show your emotions or, on the other hand, being able to be more daring.”
In the age of the Internet, falling in love has become more sophisticated. Tell us about your experience!
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