an extremely popular topic of debate is the use of smart phones over meals. there is nothing worse than wanting to have an important conversation with someone who is busy updating their twitter status. an easy solution is agree at the beginning of the meal (with a friend) the degree of casualness it will be, a phone glancing meal or a ringer off one. In general, any kind of first impression (date) or meal with those of older generations (who are not used to being attached to these devices) it is better to check your messages on a bathroom break. a great issue brought up in the ny times is should google be allowed at dinner? "What if a few clicks of the smartphone can answer a question, solve a dispute or elucidate that thoughtful point you were making? What if that PDA is not being used to escape a conversation but to enhance it?" interesting.
Social media networks have made connecting with new suitors and old loved ones much easier. Simply type in a name or a mutual friend and they are instantly at your fingertips, send a message and voila! But aside from social media networks and online dating sites I am amazed at how much technology and media is infused in the physicality’s of dating today.Now to get personal, I will explain what I mean. I have been courted a gentleman suitor for over a month or so – in University terms- we hang out watch movies on our laptops and regular the pubs. But amongst these physical activities two major aspects are highly technological. The first is communication. We realized that in talking everyday all day since we met, the entirety of our communication has been via text messages- not one single phone call. How bananas is that? Within each text message we agreed that they are each finely tuned to a couple sentences to reflect the best representation of our selves and the intended message. The second technological infusion of this casual ‘dating’ is the “getting to know each other”. Having met each other in University, the possibilities of discovering things about one another is endless… so why not show them? Within seconds we pull up Google street view and are showing each other our childhood houses, middle schools and neighborhoods. Want to see what I looked like at three? Old pictures in a family member’s albums on face book are pulled up and shared. No matter how much we try and do it the old fashioned way, technology is such a convenient part of every aspect of our lives it’s impossible to ignore, even just ‘getting to know one another’. Image: Flickr druideye
