Today is the day of Love. Roses are passed out on the UofM Diag. Restaurants are packed with lovers out dining. Chocolate Shops sell out. Single people are lonely. Whether you are one to love or dread Cupid's day of love is beside the point. My question is - how does love and the valentines interaction change with the ever growing hook-up culture of my generation? What used to be considered a "steady" or dating, is now a person someone is "hooking up with". After this has been established, there is another question to ask - are we exclusive? These uncertainties are mere day to day, weekend to weekend complications, however - what happens when love, relationships, and feelings are highlighted on a day such as this?
Games: To put this in the context of a game, much of this "hook up culture" interaction occurs over the texting medium. We are all gamers through the language of cryptic, short messages that appear on our cellular phones. It is crucial to text the one you are hooking up with in the right fashion. Too many !'s implies too much enthusiasm, a . implies serious, angry tone. Wheres the happy medium and how do we learn to navigate it? It is a game that we all play. We imply subtle messages and unspoken feelings with our hookup partner (partner? Is that what they're considered?) through texting.
Back to Cupid: So how, on this day where stakes are high do we imply we have type of emotional attachment to this person, are probably thinking of this person but are not needy, desperate, or expecting any time of interaction?
Unsure of what to say? Just google: Valentine's Day Text Messages and there is a plethora of options to help you out. Try txt2nite.com! Or for the corniest option: The Loving Whisper.com.
-Lucy Colgan
I think this is such an interesting post because you are SO right about everything. It is so bizarre how our generation handles relationships. It is very rare to find a couple who is truly "dating". Yet, many people are exclusive or hooking up steadily. I think it is exceptionally funny because my parents have been dating since 9th grade and they just don't understand our generation regarding this topic. It was so different back then. My parents used to write each other letters in order to communicate. Now most couples incessantly text message or video chat. I think technology has taken a major toll on the idea of relationships. I almost wish we could go back to the old ways, but I don't see that happening any time soon.
ReplyDelete-Shannon Funsch
I completely agree. Today we live in a text message culture where flirting is done almost completely through the digital, written word. Every text you send must be analyzed in order to perfectly convey what you mean. It is so true that ending a text with a "!!!!!!" or a "." can make a huge difference in how the recipient interprets your message. I definitely agree that this style of communicating definitely makes dating harder. It was probably much easier when most communication was done face-to-face or over the phone, rather then through text messaging, facebooking, or video-chatting. However, like Shannon, I do not think that these "love games" of short, written, and digital messages will be ending any time soon. Maybe then we are all losers!
ReplyDeleteMallory Harwood
The Magic Circle
I completley agree with this as well. Today's generation revolves their relationships so much around technology that it has even made some relationships awkward when finally in person with eachother. People can say whatever they want behind a phone or message, but yet find it harder to say to the one they loves face. I think it is scary that we find ourselves so far into this problem that things could never change, and maybe even get worse. Who knows with the technology the world is now coming out with..
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