By Danielle Matta and Katie Forcade

There’s no doubt about it- The way that couples communicate with each other has definitely changed during the 21st century. Before the first cell phone, which was created by Motorola in 1973, relationships were built solely upon face-to-face interactions. There were no cell phones to send a quick text to check in with someone, or a Facebook account to ask someone out.

“When I was in high school, we definitely didn’t have texting. Everything was face-to-face, and I value that because it gives people a chance to have personal interaction,” said Mrs. Cynthia Lewis, an English specialist at Tuscarora.  “I’m not good at texting, but that’s because I’m from the older generation,” she added.

Nowadays, it takes less than a minute to send a text or an instant message to your boyfriend or girlfriend. Communicating over the Internet or electronic devices is so easy that many would rather have relationships over the Internet instead of trying to find time to spend with each other in person.  In this day and age, you don’t even have to put in that much effort to find love — with an online dating profile, it’s as easy as inputting your information and seeing who the site deems compatible with you.  Even if you don’t live near your significant other, you can still see them over webcam services like Skype and keep in touch over the phone.

As with any change, especially in areas such as human communication, there are always pros and cons. On one hand, online and textual communication offers a quick and easy way to keep in touch with your significant other, no matter the distance or time of day. It reduces chances of awkward small-talk and relieves some of the pressures that come with being in an intimate relationship.

On the other hand, sole interaction through a screen can create potentially dangerous scenarios, especially in using dating websites, because you are virtually dealing with strangers who have access to your personal information and can lie about their own. Even if you do know the person, the ease of texting or instant messaging decreases real-life experiences and memories that you can have with your sweetheart.

“You can quickly get your message across, but I think that we still lose the ethics of face-to-face communication with texting,” said Mrs. Lewis.

Even in light of this electronic-age, some teenagers still believe relationships should be beyond a screen.

“Sometimes we use our cell phones as a main way of communicating, but I think it is important to talk face to face in a relationship,” said freshman Madi Lippy.