Swipe right & check the chat window: Amazon Dating brings ‘textationships’ to the fore

Valentine's Day is just round the corner, and lonely singles no longer need to worry. Just whip out your smartphone and swipe right. Today’s makeup, breakup and hook-up culture does not require any more effort than that.

Interestingly, Amazon, the US-based e-commerce giant created an interesting parody and joke with this “swiping” culture in mind.

Amazon came up with 'Amazon Dating’ which categorises people based on gender and age. They also offer a free one-hour delivery service where your selection is delivered right to your doorstep. However, it does come at a fixed price.

While this was only a parody of the way meet-ups are played out today, ironically, Amazon’s witty take on the subject runs close to what is actually happening around us now.

There was a time, some years ago, when men and women would think of thoughtful gestures and different ways to express their love. It was as simple as taking their romantic partners for a cold winter stroll, a picnic in the park, cooking their favourite meal, or writing a card to convey their emotions.

Today, however, technology has taken over.

Dating apps can help you find the right match nowadays, but they have utterly destroyed the old-world charm of courtship. The butterflies-in-the-stomach feelings that came with the effort of wooing someone have now changed to emoticons on a phone.

Swiping right and left has removed the passion and intrigue out of the dating game.

The effort taken to get to know a person, to understand their little quirks, likes, and dislikes seems to have been replaced by a chat window.

Now dating apps are making people spend all their time looking at each other and communicating through a screen. Creating a social media personality with zero effort has become the only way to get to know someone.

It is, therefore, much more common to have a ‘textationship’ rather than an actual ‘relationship.’

As Valentine’s Day draws closer, it might be a good time to decide whether we will rely on technology for a ‘textationship’ or make another person feel special by way of thoughtful gestures.

So, what will it be this year? Smart phones or old-fashioned romance? You decide.