Technologies Love Connection

STAY CONNECTED
Nowadays everyone has some type of device that allows them to stay connected to the world outside their front door. Living in a large city can make it difficult to find that person that is built just for you. A lot of users are turning to social media sites such as Tinder, Facebook, Plenty of Fish, Instagram, etc., to find individuals that have a similar mindset and are looking for the same interest as themselves. Not having to leave the home to find a love connection resulted in a rise of individuals being cat-fished. Many people today live a busy lifestyle which can include work, school, or raising a family. These routines make it hard to find people that are on the same level as themselves outside of their normal environments. Thus, it becomes more easier to turn to technology to find love. Finding love using social media outlets means that a person doesn’t necessarily have to leave home to find Mr./Mrs. Right. Being behind a protected screen allows users to only show the certain features and characteristics they choose to be seen. According to the opinion of Emmen in 2016, “What’s more, online, those of us who aren’t all that good at first time meetings can deal with our anxieties far more easily. You can combine the excitement of socializing with being in the comfort of your own home.”
HOMOPHILY
Homophily is a term used to describe individuals that share similar views, beliefs, religion, race, etc. This brings a positive outlook to those seeking homophily, because it allows the users to feel a sense of belonging to a certain “group” as themselves. This prevents the users from feeling the normal sense of being alone in the social media era. Being involved in these certain groups takes away from the user’s fear of missing out and provides them with an uplifted spirit that there are others out there that shares the same interest and hobbies. This can take away a lot of pressures and stress while increasing the notion of allowing one to simply be one’s self.
LOVE POTION “ALGORITHMS”
Platform algorithms is a strategy in which the major social media platformers and developers uses users’ personal and public data to appeal to their sense of liking. For example, a Facebook user follows multiple car pages, likes many car posts per day and joins an auto-shop community, then platformers would calculate statistics and data to more likely show this user car ads, posts about cars in their feed, and perhaps try to convince the person to buy a certain car. According to a journal blog written by Likeable Local in 2016, “It all really hinges on your ability to create valuable content that will be boosted, not hindered by these feeds.”
REFERENCES
Emmen, J. (2016, May 10). Why Finding Love Online Is Better Than Finding It in Real Life. Retrieved from https://www.meetmindful.com/why-finding-love-online-is-better/
Local, L. (2016, April 06). Social Media Algorithms and What They Mean for You. Retrieved from https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-networks/social-media-algorithms-and-what-they-mean-you