Love in 2020
Mentor: Kenny Smith
Proposed Project
In the wake of the Digital Revolution, we now live with the knowledge that our significant others are almost constantly at hand, a mere series of keystrokes away. Up until 2010, restrictions such as pay-per-text and pay-per-minute plans limited the type of content that could be shared via mediated technology. Such restrictions are relics of the past. Unlimited text and call plans are the new norm, and mediated communication has become not just a means of sharing time-sensitive or “significant” information, but a platform for all types of conversations, even accommodating exchanges that were primarily reserved for in-person interactions such as banter, flirtation, and gossip. Living through this transition has compelled me to ask the following question: how does constant contact impact the way we experience romantic relationships? It is incredibly important for my generation–the people who have been shaped by this transition to mediated communication–to come to an understanding of how this technology has altered the ways we navigate our lives. For my project, I will combine my personal lived experiences with the existing scientific data concerning technology’s impact on romantic relationships into a a piece of long-form literary journalism that is digestible to a popular audience. Through this analysis, I intend to facilitate an understanding of the ways in which modern technology is shaping the ways we live and the ways we love.
Final Project
“Love in 2020” is a reflection on the landscape of love in a contemporary world. In this piece, I explore the experience of love—how we think about it, search for it, and sustain it—in a heavily mediated environment with rapidly changing values.
Read more about the project.
