“I fear the day technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” ~ Albert Einstein

Love—in fact life in general—used to be so much easier before the dawn of technology.

Dates meant going to the park, taking pictures with a “point and shoot” and then only developing them days, maybe even weeks or months, later. Lovers would gaze into each other’s eyes, feeding each other the clichéd strawberries and cream or the traditional cheese platter.

They would get lost in the moment, laugh at the craziness of the world, and yet, still be perfectly happy and content.

No one, besides their immediate family and friends (and of course the observers in the park) would know about their little rendezvous. They would write love letters and cherish them, rereading them each time they felt the feeling of desire waning.

Getting into a fight with your partner meant you would argue and shout at each other in the comfort of your own homes. And if you didn’t have the luxury of living together then you would have to wait until you saw each other again before solving the matter.

But now, things are so different.

Going on a date means you first need to check in on Facebook, Instagram how you feed your lover (lest we forget the countless filter options available to fix whatever imperfections you see) and tweet about the birds spoiling your “romantic” getaway.

How we lie to ourselves.

People are so obsessed with social media that if it’s not broadcasted on one of the many sites out there, the event simply did not happen.

How sad.

It has even changed the way we argue. Now passive-aggressive behaviour takes over as we reveal to the entire internet (and world) how our partner is upsetting us, putting our dirty laundry out there.

And even if you don’t make a status about your fight, you know you are showing your displeasure by liking, sharing and retweeting certain things which are meant to be a jab in your lover’s heart.

The rise of social media also gave birth to a new kind of jealousy. A certain envy—which probably has no fundamental basis, an envy which can tear even the strongest couples apart.

Constant tabs are kept and likes, shares, tweets, pictures are all analysed. Even the comments on such matters are brought under scrutiny. The magic of this all is that is at our fingertips and pretty soon, we will be able to access all this information just by opening our eyes.

Where, amidst all this staring at our phones and envying the lives of others, will we ever find time to gaze into the eyes of another?

Where will we find the time to just be, to just get lost in the beauty of loving someone who loves you back?

Love elephant and want to go steady?

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Apprentice Editor: Jessica Sandhu/ Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Flickr