Gone are the days when a single look could hook one for life. That happened in the not-so-distant past. Reams of pages, reels of films, and breves of notes stand testimony to that. But with life getting complicated by the day despite increasing ease of living, love, too, has undergone a drastic change. The 21st century love is as practical, and as mechanical, as it can get. It is no longer just a matter of the heart, it is a matter of the mind too, as is evident from a shift from “giving” to “taking.” In this digital age, love and all its trappings, complete with the stakeholders, has undergone a seismic change.
Flowers, gifts, lunches, dinners and an occasional romantic getaway, these are the markers of a love relationship in 2025. And most importantly, speaking in strict economic terms, the equanimity is maintained as it is a give and take. For instance, a man is as likely to get a bouquet of roses, complete with all its paraphernalia, as a woman is.
In the love story of the 21st century, the characters have undergone a transformation: metrosexual men have replaced the macho; the damsels are no longer in distress, in fact, they are independent, empowered women strong enough to cause distress; and more than the parents, it is the state that plays the antagonist, with the vigilantes providing the muscle. The role of the Cupid, the matchmaker, is played by none other than the AI. Digital love for a digital world.
The biggest shift, however, is in the ‘sustainability’ of love. Like the other things in life, it now comes with an expiry date. Eternal love is nothing more than an archaic catchphrase. Romance, today, happens in stages. The stepping-stone to a relationship is attraction followed by casual meetings, which lead to a ‘situationship’ that, finally, matures into a relationship. And we are not talking of commitment yet. That comes later, or never.
The entry of AI into the love domain has made this ‘New Age’ romance far more interesting. The process sounds far more captivating than the actual results. No longer is online dating linked to a simple swipe or text-based profiles. Intricate algorithms and machine learning tools promise to deliver the ‘love of your’ life with an unmatched precision based on deciphering the enigma of human desires. It is as cold and calculative as it can get. Careful analysis of vast amounts of data related to human behaviour, preferences, personality traits and physical attributes produces a tailor-made match, promising a higher likelihood of compatibility.
Introduction of machinery has reduced human effort in everything, right from travel to cooking and cleaning. With love being the latest conquered territory, are we headed for a future based on mechanical relationships?
Worth a thought?
