‘Our decisions are based on smartphones’: Is this the shocking reason so many relationships feel different today?

Relationships have never been easy. Every generation has faced its own challenges when it comes to love, commitment and long-term partnerships. But many people today feel that relationships are becoming harder to maintain than ever before. Couples have more ways to stay connected, yet many feel emotionally disconnected. They can message each other instantly, yet important conversations are often left unsaid.


A recent online discussion asked a simple question: What do you think is killing relationships nowadays? The answers pointed toward a few common themes. People spoke about social media influencing decisions, poor communication, agreeing to things they do not truly want and allowing resentment to build over time. While these issues may sound simple, they reveal much bigger changes happening in modern relationships.

The truth is that relationships rarely end because of one dramatic moment. More often, they are damaged by small habits that repeat every day. Over time, those habits can create distance between two people who genuinely care about each other.

One of the most interesting observations was that social media has shaped the way people think, feel and make decisions. This idea is hard to ignore. Many people wake up and check their phones before speaking to their partners. They compare their relationships with what they see online and often judge real life against carefully edited highlights.


Social media can create unrealistic expectations. A couple might see endless videos of grand romantic gestures, luxury holidays and seemingly perfect relationships. The problem is that real relationships are not edited. They involve chores, disagreements, financial stress and ordinary days. When people compare reality with a filtered version of love, disappointment can grow quickly.

This influence can be subtle. Someone may start questioning a perfectly healthy relationship simply because it does not look exciting enough online. Decisions that were once based on personal experiences can gradually become influenced by what appears on a screen. The result is that people sometimes chase an ideal rather than appreciating what they already have.

A good example can be seen in everyday life. A couple might spend an entire dinner scrolling through videos instead of talking. Nothing dramatic happens that evening. Yet when this becomes a habit, emotional connection slowly weakens.

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If there is one issue that appeared repeatedly, it is communication. Most problems become worse when people stop talking honestly.


Communication is not just about discussing major issues. It is also about sharing feelings, frustrations and expectations before they become bigger problems. Many people avoid difficult conversations because they fear conflict. Others stay silent because they do not want to upset their partner.


However, avoiding a conversation rarely solves anything. Imagine a person feeling hurt by a partner's behaviour but choosing not to mention it. The issue remains unresolved. Days turn into weeks and the frustration grows. Eventually the argument becomes much bigger than it needed to be.

Healthy communication requires courage. It means saying, “This bothered me,” instead of pretending everything is fine. It means listening without immediately becoming defensive. Most importantly, it means understanding that disagreement does not automatically mean a relationship is failing.

Strong couples are not the ones who never argue. They are often the ones who know how to discuss problems before those problems become crises.

Another issue raised was a behaviour where people agree to terms they do not actually want just to keep someone around. This can happen in many forms. Someone might agree to a relationship arrangement that makes them uncomfortable. They might ignore their own needs because they fear losing the other person.

At first, this can look like compromise. But compromise and self-sacrifice are not always the same thing. Real compromise involves both people adjusting. Constantly ignoring your own feelings is something different.


The problem is that hidden dissatisfaction rarely stays hidden forever. People can suppress their feelings for months or even years, but eventually those feelings surface. When they do, the relationship often faces confusion because one partner suddenly discovers that the other has been unhappy for a long time.

Healthy relationships require honesty about boundaries, expectations and needs. It is far better to have an uncomfortable conversation today than a devastating breakup years later.

Resentment is one of the most dangerous emotions in any relationship because it often develops silently. Unlike anger, which appears immediately, resentment builds slowly. It grows when people feel unheard, unappreciated or ignored.

The challenge is that resentment rarely announces itself. A person may smile, continue daily routines and act normal while internally keeping score of every disappointment. Over time, those small disappointments pile up.

Eventually, even a minor disagreement can trigger a major argument because the issue is no longer about that single moment. It becomes about months or years of accumulated frustration. That is why addressing problems early is so important.


Relationships thrive when concerns are discussed openly. Waiting for resentment to disappear on its own is rarely successful. Like any problem, it becomes harder to solve the longer it is ignored.

Bollywood has often explored the complexities of relationships and the idea that marriage is not the only measure of happiness.

One notable example is Piku from Piku. Throughout the film, Piku is not defined by marriage. She focuses on her career, her responsibilities and her relationship with her father.

The story shows that being single does not automatically mean being incomplete. Piku's life is messy, complicated and fulfilling in its own way. Her character reminds audiences that relationships should add value to life, not become a requirement for happiness. A healthy relationship is not about avoiding loneliness. It is about building a partnership where both people feel respected, heard and valued.

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Modern relationships face challenges that previous generations did not experience in the same way. Smartphones compete for attention. Social media creates comparisons. Communication is often replaced by assumptions. Resentment can build behind carefully curated smiles.

Yet the fundamentals remain surprisingly unchanged. Successful relationships still depend on trust, honesty, communication and mutual respect. Technology may change how people meet and interact, but it cannot replace the effort required to understand another human being.


Love does not usually disappear overnight. More often, it fades when conversations stop, when resentment grows and when people become more connected to their screens than to each other. The good news is that these problems are not impossible to solve. They begin with something simple: putting the phone down, speaking honestly and choosing to listen.