Data Visualization
Dating in the digital age has been difficult for many people. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have changed American’s perception of the traditional monogamous relationship. The unlimited access to the possibility of romantic encounters with several people has proven to be intriguing for many.
In the digital age, I believed that we would most likely see online dating become to newest and most effective way to meet a romantic partner. In fact, the data from Pew Internet Research reflects a different view point. Based on their research, 38 percent of people meet their significant others at work or school and 34 percent meet their romantic partners through friends and family. Pew Internet Research found that only 3 percent of people found their romantic partner through an online dating source. This study was conducted on adults. I also reviewed another study by Pew Internet Research on teens and online dating. Pew found that only 8 percent of teens meet their romantic partner online and 64 percent are not interested in finding relationships at all.
It appears, based on several research studies, that most singles are not interested in pursuing romantic relationships in the digital age. Many believe that they are incapable of finding anyone and so they just give up. Based on the data I collected from Pew Internet Research, I believe that the people whom are reporting that they are giving up on finding love are really just not trying hard enough. Just between friends and family, work and school, and going out on the town, there is already an 85 percent chance that you will find love eventually just by engaging yourself in these three areas.
Teens whom reported that they did find their romantic partner online cited that they found them most frequently through Facebook. I find this interesting because I would have thought Tinder or Bumble might have been the digital source connecting teens. Fifty percent of teens stated that they friended or followed their crushes social media accounts in order to show interest and 47 percent said that they show romantic interest by liking and commenting on their crushes posts. The ways that humans express romantic interest now has changed immensely from before the internet existed. Teens growing up in this digital age reported that they prefer to show their romantic interest through social media because it’s easier than having to gain the courage to talk to their crush in person.
Also, 72 percent of all teens that are dating reported that they text their partners daily. Many teens reported dissatisfaction in their relationships because they claimed that their partners text too much to the point where it gets annoying and becomes a strain on the relationship.
As we can see, digital media has changed dating in many ways but it has also stayed the same since the introduction of digital media. Do you think digital media has negatively or positively affected romantic relationships? That is something we all have to decide for ourselves.
