It may have originated from a bizarre fertility festival filled with animal sacrifices and raucous parties, but for most of the 20th Century Valentine’s day has been all about Cupid, roses, and showering your loved one with gifts and chocolate. Of course, we’re in the 21st century now, and technology hasn’t just drastically changed the world we live in and the ways in which we live within it, it’s changed how we celebrate Valentine’s Day as well.
Handwritten cards have given way to texts. When was the last time you received a hand made Valentine’s Day card? While some old souls are out there still keeping the tradition alive by writing poems and carefully crafting the cards that contain them, many of us have resorted to expressing our affections via text.
The holiday has been further commercialized. Let’s be honest, ever since Hallmark got involved in the early 20th century Valentine’s day has been every bit as much about consumerism as it has been about love. But today’s marketers have far more targeted ways of reaching us, thanks to our search histories and social media accounts, and those targeted ads have effectively turned Valentine’s Day spending into a nearly 20 billion dollar per year industry.
Our relationships mean less. Living in the age of swipe culture has drastically altered the nature of courtship, and whereas once we were looking for love and flirting for future life partners, these days many of us are just cruising for some Netflix and chill. With the nature of romance changed thanks to tech, there’s no doubt that the value we assign to Valentine’s Day has changed as well.
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