I write this at risk of sounding like a complete cynic. Social media may be screwing with our relationships — and not in a good way.

We meet someone. We Facebook stalk them. We pretend we haven’t. Someone let’s something slip. We laugh about it. We secretly know everything they’ve done in the last 5 years. How endearing. Things go well. We tag them in a photo. They don’t untag. It must be love. We make it official on the book. Next thing there’s an erray of Instagram and Facebook tags #bestboyfriendever #luckygirl #love and my new personal favourite #ily

Did anyone else just feel a bit nauseous?

Yes we’ve all become exhibitionists and voyeurists in life. But relationships, aren’t they a personal intimate thing? And if we’re so happy, shouldn’t we be so loved up that we’re not constantly bursting to showcase it to the world?

In high school Shakespeare taught me “all that glitters is not gold.” He seemed like a pretty smart guy. I can’t help but wonder if maybe the more glitter, the less gold. The more online loving, the less real time loving.

Oh and while we’re on the topic of loving, I recently read an article that proclaimed fun in the bedroom is at an all time low. Apparently we’d rather play with our iPads and iPhones. Don’t know about you, but I feel like that’s not a very good trade off.

I also read an article on the faux pas of new relationships. My favourite part was were it said not to change your relationship status on the first date. Really? How did someone even conceive that they needed to state this point?

It continued to say you may write a Facebook status about how you enjoyed the date. You can even remark how you’d like a follow up date. Photo tags were okay on date 2. Really? Really? Isn’t that all just a little bit creepy and dare I say — desperate? I for one like a bit of mystique, and that, well that would just ruin everything.

Then we come to the big Ex. To defriend or not to defriend, that is the question? An issue of great contention. There’s your own sanity and jealousy to consider. It seems a little bit sad and petty, but maybe in the interest of minismising online stalking it’s a good thing.

And if you get a new plus one to appease, well they may have a few ideas of their own of the matter.

It’s all a rather sad situation for our generation. And this is merely the tip of the iceberg. It makes me nostalgic for the past. Bring back the days of film cameras and love letters and sweet simplicity.

And so relationships, they’re complex at the best of times. Add in social media and you get a huge hairy spider, spinning webs of even more complexity.