Today being Valentine’s day, the time is ripe to focus on the impact of smartphones and internet on relationships, particularly in an era where technology permeates our lives.
A study carried by Pew Research Center among a sample of 2,252 adults, age 18 and older in the US, gives valuable insights into how technology can get couples connected and disconnected. Here are a few takeaways of the study.
27% of couples feel the effect of the internet on their relationships
For the majority, the influence is positive. As many as 21% of adult interviewees consider that internet technology and text messages are crucial means of communication that help to keep their relationship growing.
Around 45% of young adults believe that new technologies generate tensions
It seems that love and technology is a double-edged sword for younger couples aged between 18 and 29 years. Among them, 45% think that the internet is a source of distraction while 42% blame smartphones. A significant 8% even confessed that they had fights with their partners who spend too much time online.
Valentine’s Day advice: drop your smartphone and unplug your laptop! Your partner will thank you.
9% had resorted to text messages and online communication tools to solve an issue
According to Pew, 9% of the participants have solved an issue by resorting to new means of communication as they found it difficult to do it in person.
Nearly 67% of individuals share their online passwords with their partner
The trend remains on an upward curve for people in a serious relationships. Other than this, 27 % of couples share a single email account and 11% indicate that they have a common social media profile.
Amanda Lenhart, senior researcher at Pew believes that, “It’s about timing — in many cases these couples were together when they first started using the technology and began using it as unit, while those who have been in a relationship for a shorter period of time were still independent actors when they first set up their accounts.”
Sexting is not just for teens!
Sexting was long associated with teens but Pew’s report demonstrates that erotic messages are also popular among married couples. In concrete terms, one out of 10 adults (both married and unmarried) send suggestive photos to their partner and apparently it enhanced their “emotional intimacy”.
To conclude, Albert Einstein had said “it has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity”. To paraphrase him, we hope technology certainly does not exceed love. Food for thought on Valentine’s Day!
Source: Pew Research Internet Project – Photo via www.rocofit.com
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