90's Sitcom Meets Modern Technology

Technology affects relationships, and together both these things have a huge effect on our lives. It is clear, that in less than a decade, our ways of communicating have changed drastically. Many believe it is for the better, while some believe the “simple life” is still the way to live. So, to take that argument a bit further, I thought about the classic 90’s sitcom, Friends, and all the love, humor, and relationship successes or blunders that were involved.

This well-known sitcom invited its fellow audience into the daily lives of six twenty year old friends living in New York City. The audience was enchanted with the romance between Ross and Rachel, the struggling acting career of Joey, the never-expected marriage of OCD Monica and sarcastic Chandler, and the hippy-like funk of Phoebe. The events that took place throughout the 10 seasons of Friends are iconic, but how would their lives and relationships have been different had they lived in the age of technology? Would Ross and Rachel have gone on a break? Would Chandler and Monica have been able to hide their secret relationship? Would Joey have become even more or less of a ladies’ man? How would these scenarios have played out if they had been privy to the convenience of cell phones and the impact of social media?

Cell Phones

This iconic first scene would not have happened. There would have been no need for Rachel to run around New York City in a wedding gown hoping to happen upon Monica in a coffee shop. How did she find her anyway?

About 15 minutes before Rachel was to walk down the aisle, Monica would have received a “911” text from Rachel who realized she couldn’t go through with the ceremony. Monica would have rushed to her side and rescued her from making a mistake. Less than 20 minutes later, Rachel would’ve been across the city tweeting “See you sucker #notmarried”

In today’s world, it’s almost as easy to have a secret relationship as a public one. Monica and Chandler tried so hard to hide their new relationship. With cell phones, they would’ve been able to communicate privately, away from landline devices that put them within ear-shot of others.

I guarantee that no one gets this excited to answer a landline anymore. Rachel convinces Mike to stay with Ross while she is away in order to prevent him from intercepting a call from “the other man”. Cell phones have allowed individuals the freedom of mobility. People can tend to their relationships from the location of their choice without the worry of interference from others.

YouTube

“Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat, What are they feeding you?” While it is clear that Pheobe’s music is a hit, in this episode she was kicked out of the coffee house and onto the street because the Central Perk owner decided to hire a “professional singer.” Pheobe was distraught as this was her only opportunity for exposure. Phoebe may have been less upset had she been able to use YouTube as a way to promote her music. Sites like YouTube would have given Phoebe the chance to share her quirky songs with thousands of viewers with just the click of a button. Who knows, there may have actually been people who liked “Smelly Cat.”

Social Media

Joey was the classic lady’s man. He had drawers full of napkins with the phone numbers of different woman written on them, not to mention, several “little black books”. I can’t imagine what Joey would have done had he been able to surf the web for the coolest chicks. Joey could have reached out to thousands of women at once through sites such as match.com and Tinder. Just think of the response he would have gotten from his famous “How you doing?” introduction.

The world can be a cruel place. People are judgmental. They start rumors and make fun of those around them. It seems as though some people sit around and try to think of ways to be crueler than ever before. For example, today there are even apps that allow people to anonymously make mean and nasty remarks about others across the web. Rachel should just be glad the gossip about her couldn’t go viral.

For years, Gunther was secretly in love with Rachel; however, other than sneaking stares and making creepy comments, while she hung out in the coffee shop, Gunther had no other way to let her know how he felt about her. Sites such as Facebook may have helped Gunther find courage to express his feelings to Rachel. His stalking career could have been even more victorious as he would be able to view all of her pictures and message her constantly.

The most controversial issue throughout the history of Friends occurred between Ross and Rachel. After an argument between the two, Ross tried to drown his disappointment at a bar. While in a clouded state, he “hooked up” with another woman as he thought he was on a break from his relationship with Rachel. Were they really on a break or did Ross actually cheat on Rachel? Facebook could have prevented this “he said” “she said” argument as Ross could have checked Rachel’s profile to see if it read “in a relationship.” Even if her profile had “it’s complicated” posted, Ross would have known better than to start messing around. Regardless, the whole world knows that “they were NOT on a break”.