Romance is not a novel concept.
From time immemorial (ok, not really) women had been identified
with the pink misty veil of love and romance. Men, on the
other hand, have been known for a tendency to measure egos
in a never ending battle to dominate and control.
Of course, this is a profoundly terrible typification but
you would be surprised as to how much these kind of images
permeate our culture and influence our every day decisions.
Perhaps that is why lads get candy and flowers for their love
birds on Valentine's day and why women get to not spend a
dime and be mad if they don't get presents. But perhaps this
cruel and material demand is finally taking its toll on the
new generations, as more and more people are falling out of
love... and in love with their mobile phones.
A few weeks ago Virgin Mobile (those lovely people that make
your precious Virgin phones) released the results of a survey
on mobile phone users about how their technological relationship
with their beloved gadget compared to the one they had with
their significant other. The results are quite surprising.
Almost 40% of the group would give up their Valentine before
their phone.
More than 50% of those aged 18-34 are holding their mobile
phone... rather than their Valentine's hand. 68% of those
aged 18-34 have their mobile phone with them all day, every
day.
Love truly conquers all, but this recent poll shows that a
lot of people are secretly (or openly) having an affair with
their mobile devices. Mobile phones have become our true companions
in life, at least in the most literal sense. Most people,
whether they need to be within dial reach at all times or
not, carry their loved gadget with them at all times. This,
of course, isn't as appalling as you would think as most people
would concur that lugging their loved ones around all day
can get pretty tiring, and their significant others can't
be turned off so easily when you need some peace and quiet.
The results of the survey, however, break down a little differently
between the sexes. It was found that while a majority of men
(53 per cent) said that they are holding their phones more
often than their loved one's hand, women responded the
opposite way. The results were 60 to 40 per cent, with a preference
for hand-holding (as we were taught to do) over fondling the
little plastic toy. What to do about these results? Is there
anything to do? Well, if you have been particularly cruel
to your male toy, eh companion, you might want to give him
more reasons to pick you rather than his latest tech gadget.
In any case, love is still very much alive, despite the
profound bond that some people have with their phones.
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