Swipe left, right, up, down. In this new dating age, your prospective partner is fingertips away even while across seas. Technology has redefined courtship for teenagers, and they’ve been plopped in the middle of the reformation of romance. 

Trust, empathy, connection, and happiness are common definitions when people think of love. Now, when throwing those definitions into the mix with technology, many find that it doesn’t fit because telecommunication creates impersonal bonds. 

Billions of people today use technology as a source for conversation. It’s convenient and quick; everyone is just a few buttons away from relaying a message or making plans to catch up. Biology and Physiology teacher, Ms. Lisandra Navarro said that a podcast she has been listening to discusses how technology has opened up the world to people. “It allows people to create more relationships and it adds layers of intricacy”, she said. 

“Why haven’t you answered my text? I’ve been on delivered for over 30 seconds!” Expeditious responses in this generation are a must otherwise it leads to conclusions of disinterest in one another. Chemistry and Physics teacher, Ms. Kim Perfecto, believes that teens view love as an instantaneous process when it really is a long and gradual process of getting to know someone and falling in love. 

Technology isn’t as chivalry killing as it seems though. Teens use it to communicate with each other at long distances. “I’m always on the phone with my girl. We spend hours talking and talking. That means she loves me,” Bryan Mirada, a junior, said. Others use social media as a way to show one another off. “If I had a boyfriend, I’d show him off and I’d want to let everyone know that we are together,” Natalia Pulido, a sophomore, said. 

Romance has been adapted to fit into the world of technology with FaceTime, Instagram and other forms of technology. Maybe love is not The Notebook where you and your significant other run into each other’s arms while it rains, but love is still kind, caring, and beautiful.