Relationships in the Digital Age

The world we live in today is very different from the world we lived in twenty years ago. The technologies that ushered in the digital age had a profound effect on us. They changed the way we work, with a third of America's workforce freelancing today. They changed the way we shop, to the point that almost every American has shopped online. And the way we interact with each other has changed, with four out of five Americans having a social media profile. It was inevitable that the relationships in the digital age will be different than they were a couple of decades ago.

Marriage in the Digital Age

Contrary to popular belief, high divorce rates are not the ideal representation of the relationships in the digital age. In fact, the divorce rates in the United States in 2015 were the lowest they have been in over forty years — 16.9 per 1000 marriages ended with divorce in 2015, as opposed to the all-time high of 22.8 in the late '70s. People are getting divorced less, and when they do get divorced, or their marriages end for other reasons, they are more likely to get remarried.

The defining trait of relationships today, at least when it comes to marriage, is people's willingness to skip it altogether. The gap between the part of the population that is in a marriage and the part that is not has never been so small. In 1950, there were 74.4 million of married Americans older than 15, and 37.3 million who were not married. In 2015, the number of married Americans was 133.6 million, while the number of unmarried grew to 121.5 million. So while the percentage of marriages that end in divorce is shrinking, the number of people who are choosing not to marry is growing. The relationships in the digital age are increasingly lacking an official confirmation.

The Dating Life in the Digital Age

We know all the traditional ways of meeting people through work, social circles, and social outings. But as people are moving away from traditional types of work, and as young people are increasingly preferring to stay in, that leaves us with social circles — an imperfect way to find a date as any. "Sometimes, best friends forget to consider your criteria, and in neglecting to do so, are responsible for very uncomfortable dates being set up with the best of intentions," says Amber Kelleher-Andrews, CEO of Kelleher International. "We like to call these spaghetti matches — friends will throw you and another friend together, and wait to see if the match sticks."

The number of people who turn to digital alternatives in the digital age is surprisingly small. Only 15% of Americans have used dating apps or websites. Granted, the percentage is the highest among the younger population, with 27% of 18 to 24-year olds using online dating solutions. It is also rapidly growing, as new apps and better solutions enter the market. And there is still a lot of room for online dating to grow because two out of five Americans would say they are familiar with it through someone who is using it.

It would be unfair to say that everything happening with relationships today has to do with technology. However, technology surely influences how people start relationships and how they conduct them. With the rise of home entertainment options like video streaming services, as well as telecommuting for work, there is less incentive than ever for people to go out. But the same technology has given people ways to start relationships, and even to conduct parts of them online. Whether it is using apps and dating websites, or using social networks to meet new partners or stay in touch with existing ones, it is safe to say that relationships in the digital age are, at least to some extent, mediated by digital technologies.