Long Distance Relationships and Social Media/Networking

1229 Words3 Pages

Introduction:
Just like any other relationship that is formed between two people in the throes of intimacy, long distance relationships are filled with struggle and sometimes heartache. However, the question is, are these relationships worth it? If two people’s love is so strong for each other, it stands to reason that no distance would come between them. Perhaps the old adage speaks most in saying, “true love conquers all” – distance included.
After experiencing a long distance relationship first hand, I have found that the distance can, in fact, provide more unique and special aspects than many would normally consider. When I met my girlfriend online through social media, it was very casual at first. Short and subtle exchanges on the internet became heart felt lettered correspondence and before realizing it – we had come to the mutual conclusion of finding someone truly special. However, there is only one problem; the 1,200 miles down the coast between us.
Thesis:
Today, it has become apparent that we are truly living in the digital age. The increasing availability of the internet has created an ability to form connections like never before and through the ever increasing depth of social media websites – they have created a vast human network that reaches to all corners of the globe, providing abilities to cultivate and maintain personal relationships, perhaps most importantly, long distance relationships, that has not previously existed in our time.
Long Distance Relationships and Social Media/Networking:
The beginnings of long distance relationships come in many forms. Judging strictly by their name basis, people might believe that these relationships are formed and cultivated from long distance from the beginning (which is...

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...ings from various studies that long distance relationships have increasingly become two things: one, far more common in the modern age through the use of social media and the internet, and two, these relationships are actually being found to cultivate a greater level of disclosure and communication between partners, therefore contributing to their overall happiness and long term success. Currently living in a long distance relationship, I believe that these findings are consistent with my own experiences. I speak with my partner every day and when we do, we speak at a very heartfelt level with candor and honesty to overcome the difficulties of lacking face-to-face interaction and presenting ourselves within a digital medium. In the words of James Joyce and his novel “The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” perhaps truly “absence is the highest form of presence.”

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