Too much tech ruins love

As I see a plethora of red and pink everywhere, heart-shaped candy boxes at pretty much every store where it is legal to sell edibles, and an exponentially growing number of hand-holding couples as Feb. 14 approaches, one thought comes to mind: “Great, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner,” along with confirming my personal hatred for the color pink.

This does not go without the fact that technology has increasingly popularized this holiday. Technology has shifted Valentine’s Day to be an even more sickening holiday than it has traditionally been.

As I dive deep into the logic of this unnecessary holiday, technology seems responsible for those being compelled to have feelings of infatuation and/or “love” toward any random person, or having to spend their latest paycheck on tokens of affection to sweep their significant other(s) off their feet on this particular day.

Some blame technology for killing romance. A National Trust survey found that 62 percent of people have never written a love letter. Andrew McLaughlin from the Britain National Trust wrote that “we seem to have forgotten the value of putting our innermost feelings down in writing.” I blame technology for redefining romance. Communication via text messaging, for example, has revolutionized the entire process of courtship. Text messages ranging from asking people out on dates to “I Heart U” has shifted the traditional courting of males and females by making dating and romance almost seem effortless. Sooner or later the traditional marriage proposal over champagne and scattered rose petals will be replaced by a text message saying, “Will U marry me?”

Further evidence of technology affecting Valentine’s Day, especially for college students, is the remarkable power of Facebook. Over the past few weeks, my News Feed has been covered with “So-and-so is now in a relationship with so-and-so.” And I wouldn’t be surprised if these announcements multiply after the 14th. Interestingly enough, the number of existing relationships has hit its peak within just a few days of Valentine’s Day.

I am beginning to think that this holiday is responsible for Cupid’s arrow hitting the wrong people for wrong reasons: People are getting involved just for the sake of not being lonely on a day where it sucks to be single and using technology to prove they are taken for the sake of avoiding the embarrassment of being “single” on Facebook.

Match.com and other dating Web sites also contribute to the technological trend of Valentine’s Day by allowing singles to find dates with the click of a button. No more acts of desperation by questioning past relationships are necessary and no more confusion about why the last person you dated stopped texting you and avoiding your Facebook chat initiations just a few days before Valentine’s Day. Finding hot, local singles online can avoid traditional blows to many people’s self-esteem. Taking a long walk on the beach with SexyPimp100 sure beats being lonely on Feb. 14.

Ryan Miller, a first-year physiological science student, also feels this holiday is overrated but still uses technology to celebrate.

“People shouldn’t be pressured to get into a relationship just because of all the love in the air,” said Miller. “Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean having a boyfriend or girlfriend to share it with. I mean for me, I’ll probably send my mom a text message just to wish her a happy Valentine’s Day.”

Or maybe we rely too much on the power of equivocation. “Love” can have multiple meanings: love for your mother, your best friend, your dog, your favorite band and so on. But does Valentine’s Day aim to celebrate the many meanings of love, or does one particular type of love stand out? The different types of love we feel for people and things seems to be silenced with a strictly technological viewpoint of Valentine’s Day. Messages may become blurred through instant messages, texts and “it’s complicated” Facebook relationship statuses. Through an excess of high-tech advertisements, of course this holiday connotes romance, of course it pressures people to put a hole in their wallets and of course it means a boom in sales for Hallmark. And even if we do express any other kind of “love” for those other than our current romantic infatuation, it again results in a blow to the self-esteem, which reiterates the fact that you are single and pathetic.

Whatever way you choose to spend your Feb. 14, technology shouldn’t pressure you to get involved with someone or feel obligated to show how you feel about your significant other just because the date tells you to do so.

Nor should people take the easy way out of spreading the message “love.” Don’t depend on a your Blackberry to show your true feelings for someone. I, on the other hand, will spend Valentine’s Day celebrating my technological ability to claim my true Valentine ““ the tons and tons of chocolate that I ordered online.

E-mail Ghoogassian at [email protected]. Send general comments to [email protected].