iSolation: Bad for love life

There are many outside forces that affect relationships, especially as technology continues to expand and become a more integral part of our lives. For some, programs like Skype, Facebook and even basic email are a godsend, especially when a loved one lives far away or perhaps overseas.

Personally, the more my relationship progresses, the more of a headache technology becomes.

In the beginning I have to admit that I thought the Internet and my cell phone were my saviors. My boyfriend lived two hours away and I saw him maybe once a week, but at least I could talk to him every day by text, phone call, instant message or Skype chat. But about seven months into our relationship he moved in with me and now all I want to do is lock the two of us in a room away from all that nonsense.

I admit that it's both of our faults. I'm addicted to checking my email and my Facebook page. When my cell phone goes off, I answer it no matter what time of day, much to my boyfriend's chagrin.

He often tells me that I need to explain to my friends what "business hours" are and let them know that I won't answer calls or texts outside of those hours. What he doesn't get is that I'm a 24-hour operation: If I hear my phone I will answer the call. "Business hours" don't allow for emergencies and there is a wide array of things that qualify as emergencies in my book, including friends having boy trouble.

When it comes to cell phones, he's no saint either — especially since he got a new smartphone. Now that I'm beginning to learn my lesson and toning down the amount of energy I focus toward technology, he can't seem to put his phone down. Our roles have officially reversed.

Granted, he's a firefighter and a lot of the things he works on are for his fire hall but he also spends a vast amount of time Internet "window" shopping — looking at things he wants but isn't necessarily going to buy.

It's come to the point where I feel the need to say that on specific weekends we aren't allowed to use our phones or computers. But even then I know that one or both of us will answer the occasional text and check our emails.

It's not just affecting our generation either, even though we're the ones growing up with the rapid technological advances. I've watched my parents sit in the same room watching TV for hours without uttering a word to each other. Sure, they've said things, but usually it's directed toward the television show instead of their spouse. Even my 63-year-old father has been sucked in to the BlackBerry black hole. He'll sit obliviously scrolling through God only knows what while the rest of us carry on around him.

We're a society obsessed.

Have we become a generation so dependent on electronics that we can't go a day without using them?

It's not just cell phones and computers, there are iPods, video games, television — things that seem so basic it really never occurs to anyone what a privilege it is to have them.

People are connected 24 hours a day without a care in the world. But I honestly couldn't imagine what it would be like should I have to give up all of the devices I rely on to get me through the day. What would I do to get in touch with my boyfriend? Even with all the ways I have to contact him sometimes days can go by where I don't hear from him and I start to worry. Maybe he crashed his car, or he got injured at a fire call, I think not having multiple ways to try and talk to him would drive me crazy.

Although I rely on all of my technology to keep tabs on him where I otherwise might not have heard anything from him, in the long run my cell and laptop hurt us as a couple more than they help.

It's definitely an issue and something we need to work on to strengthen our relationship, but I know we aren't the only couple suffering.

Bridget DeMeis can be reached by email at demeis.record@live.com.