The New-age Playground of Young and Foolish Love

Love is in the air, or so they say. But when you're young and head over heels, how much do you really know about love? Millennials and Gen Z are navigating the dating world with their smartphones glued to their hands, and social media as their trusted advisor. In the age of swipes, likes, and hashtags, young people are entangled in relationships more for a boast-worthy Instagram post than genuine connection. So who are these youngsters? What are they doing under the guise of love in this digital era? Why is this phenomenon worth exploring, and where are they heading? Fix your gaze as they ‘find love’ in new, superficial ways and let's get into the entertaining chaos. Dating apps have turned romance into a weekend sport, a swipe-right and a few DMs can lead to a 'Bae'. You don't even need to read a bio—just like a photo and you can call it a match! The funny thing is these 'love stories' last about as long as a Snapchat story. What happened to the courting, the dancing, and the knowing each other's families? Everything is fast-paced, instant, and frankly, quite shallow. What digital romantics gain in efficiency, they lose in depth. Romantic relationships once required emotional investment; now, they barely surpass the investment in a dinner bill. Ever tried talking politics on a first date? It’s a quick way to find out if your presence is worthy of their time. If the idea of tolerance actually existed in modern dating life, maybe 'young love' wouldn’t seem like an oxymoron. Do yourself a favor and bring up something real, watch the eyes roll, and prepare for a lecture on how 'problematic' your grandfather's values might be. Remember the days of love letters and vinyl records sharing secret messages? Today, a text message sent at 11:58 PM translates to 'I love you.' Are these the same feelings that moved the lovers in Shakespeare's plays? Think again. The quality of relationship skills also reflect onto what one anticipates as 'romantic gestures'; these 'rom-kings' are barely court jesters. One might say that romance has been sold to the lowest bidder, and our young couples are buying. Now, let's talk fidelity—or lack thereof. The idea of being young and 'exclusive' is almost laughable. Every flirtatious text, every playful emoji raises questions of loyalty, especially when your significant other’s social circle is infinitely expanding with their number of followers. Why bother being exclusive when you can have 'friends' everywhere? The meme of our generation should read: “If it’s not Instagram-official, did it even happen?” The past was about finding someone you could bring home to family—now the goal is finding someone who doesn't check who actually gets to see your 'close friends' stories. Throw emotional baggage into this mess and relationships become a psychotherapy session waiting to explode. When everything has to be validated by a blue tick or a retweet, is a soul-to-soul connection even possible? People are more in touch with their persona than their partner, more worried about appeal than being genuine; talk about misplaced priorities. For what was once private intimate realms of the heart, today’s 'young and in love' share every piece with random followers. Of course, the notion of marriage becomes as diluted as root rights in an African drag race. With every tip-toe away from traditional values, 'love' becomes as disposable and temporary as a pair of earbuds. Sounds a little bleak, doesn't it? Yet this depiction is not entirely without hope. More and more couples are waking to the realization that swiping right might have only a left-swipe outcome. Mental attraction is once again the new social capital, and young people who dive deeper are refinding what romance should entail. Those who are tired of the superficial are seeing the merit in exchanging DMs for deeper dialogues. They're seeking partners, not profiles. Relationships are slowly reclaiming depth, albeit imperfectly, as sights deadened by app mechanics awaken to a spectrum of real possibilities. If the sanctity of traditional relationships is upheld, if hearts are guarded and character longed for more than filters and followers, then perhaps the future of young love will outshine the shallowness of its present facade.