Romance in Ruins

By Niya Bobban

In history class, our teachers have always taught us about the rather dull moments of our history, discussing the rise and fall of large empires,  controversial social hierarchies, and fundamental political ideas. Yet, we have overlooked one of the most notable impacts that has evolved with history; love.

It might sound strange, but we cannot deny that love 200 years ago will never be the equivalent of how we define romance now.  As teenagers, we are bound to the entire concept of love, whether we watch the cheesy 2000s romance movies or scroll through the countless Tiktoks of “how to get with your crush”. We have grown to crave the idea of being with someone in a romantic aspect, and social media has been one of the most significant factors that defines adolescents’ relationships. Even if this seems like a great advantage for some, studies have revealed that

While the actual definition of love will never change, there has been an outbreak of ways to execute the emotion. As we are now living in the digital era, many dating apps and social media sites have made romantic interaction much easier than in the past. Teenagers who have had a tough time making friends and social interaction have been more vulnerable to online dating. According to the National Library of Medicine, “Two-thirds of respondents initiated one or more romantic relationships during the study, of which 15% were initiated online.

Girls who did not fit in well at school and had difficulty making friends were likelier to initiate romantic relationships online than their more sociable peers who fit in well at school.” This seems to be a more apparent problem in women as they are exposed to showing emotion in relationships. According to Psychological Science, men were 30% less likely to report feeling love than women.

Yet, online dating apps have also seen constant harm in modern-day society; we have seen several warnings related to online dating, and it has only gone for the worse. In a study of over 2,200 middle and high school students in the U.S., over 28% had been victims of online dating violence in some form. Online dating violence equates to the partner taking advantage of someone, which includes demands for nudes and revealing photos. There are multiple types of abuse that has been projected upon young girls, and the worst part is they don’t even realize it until they escape the abuse. 

Female teenagers have also seen the ongoing trend of being in a relationship; social media has been shaping the way women have treated relationships. This has made teenage girls feel as though they have the need to be in a relationship, and often force themselves into being something they do not necessarily need. According to a 2021 study by the Pew Research Center, 35% of teens reported feeling pressure to find a partner due to what they see on social media.

This just shows how much social media has impacted the way relationships evolve, and the amount of pressure that is held on them to follow what everyone else is doing. Has the increased use of the internet ruined romance? It hasn’t necessarily ruined it, but it has changed it drastically in many ways, both of which can be good or bad.