Age of Instant Communication: How Does it Affect Our Relationships?

Most of the people from my generation can hardly remember a time before email and it's nearly inconceivable for anyone to be more than a few feet away from their cell phones nowadays. However, how are all these new avenues of communication affecting our relationships? With Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and texting we are now able to constantly transmit our every thought and action. But does that interaction help us or hurt us when it comes to forming deeper connections?

Here are some of the pros and cons of our virtual world:

Ease of Networking - No more strategically showing up at the coffee shop in order to chat up that 'friend of a friend'.
Pro: It's relatively easy to connect with someone new. A couple of comments and 'Likes' on mutual friends' status updates and the way is paved for a friend request or even a coy email.
Con: If you're already in a committed relationship, the constant friend adds and comments can be taxing on a couple who haven't fully formed their bonds of trust.

You're an Open Book- Your relationship status, religious and political affiliations, favorite quotes and even wild party pictures are out in the open.
Pro: This can take care of a lot of the vetting work when it comes to checking out a new romantic interest.
Con: What you see isn't necessarily what you get. Sometimes our virtual selves and actual selves are out of sync.

The Buffer Factor - Something about that physical barrier makes it easier to show our most secret selves.
Pro: You're not as likely to shy away from a potentially embarrassing but necessary conversation.
Con: It's possible to give up too much too soon.

You're Out There - Every friend you have can know where you're having lunch, how intoxicated you are or even what your emotional state is at any given point during the day.
Pro: You're more connected to your friends than you've ever been.
Con: There's a serious risk of over-exposure. It's a great novelty at first to tell the world about your every mundane move but there comes a point where the world would prefer to be in the dark.