Is Technology Helping Kill Love and Sex?
Online dating is changing how we perceive modern romance, intimacy and interact with each other. But, is this a good thing?
Before her morning consisted of the usual: a hot cup of black coffee right off the bat, some flexibility stretches, and tuning in to her favorite radio station. But that routine radically changed when she installed Tinder almost six months ago. Nowadays, Isabella’s routine entails nothing but swiping through an endless stream of pictures of men, ages 25 to 48, in various outfits and in their best poses, all hoping to get the attention of a next-door girl like her. Isabella spends 20 minutes every morning lying in bed swiping left and right, vigorously, desperately looking for a new match, better than the ones she has had over the past year. She gets a dopamine rush every time she hears a new ding on her phone and becomes irascible when she doesn’t get any at all. The funny thing? She’s not even interested in a relationship right now, nor in having actual dates. She’s just swiping away. Isabella is in love with Tinder.
Never before have humans — without any social or geographic constraints — been able to mingle freely with each other just by swiping our fingers any time we want, swiftly and privately. In this new online world, dating apps…