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de Castro, Krystel Iris M. November 16, 2015

R27

A Paradoxial Rei!"

#e$"olo!y %ervades every as%et o& li&e i" t$e moder" era, t$e setti"! o& t$e s$ort stories

'(ames) a"d '*o+me"t.) It $as beome a %oer&+l atalyst relatio"al e"!a!eme"ts, s%ar-i"!

roma"e t$ro+!$ t$e tele%$o"e a"d t$e om%+ter. Noelle . *e /es+s a"d +is /oa+i" M.

Kati!ba-, $oever, reveal $o te$"olo!y, des%ite bei"! a" asset i" i"ter%erso"al o""etio"s,

may at+ally be a detrime"t it$i" t$e o"text o& i"timate relatio"s$i%s. y ide"ti&yi"! t$at t$e

"arratives tra"s%ired i" t$e di!ital a!e, readers ill +"dersta"d $o t$e moder"ity o& t$e setti"!

o"stit+tes t$e $araters.

*+e to its %revale"e, t$e media $as revol+tio"i3ed t$e soiety4s %ere%tio" o& bea+ty

a"d $as set t$e sta"dards o& a" ideal oma". *o+bti"! $er o" %$ysial +alities, t$e

%rota!o"ist o& '(ames) &a"tasi3es 'real ome") 'it$ slee- $air, +rvi"! bodies, li"e" s+its a"d

$i!$ $eels, it$ !ree" eye s$ado a"d ma+ve li%sti-, it$ dim%les or &re-les or a ti"y bea+ty

mar- o" t$e or"er o& $er mo+t$.) $e +sed t$e vis+al a"o"ymity to ex%erime"t it$ $er ide"tity

a"d %rete"ded to arry t$e traits t$at s$e %assed o" to t$e "ames s$e i"ve"ted.

imilarly, t$e %rota!o"ist o& '*o+me"t) str+!!les i" $is di&&ide"e a"d %er%lexes i" t$e

stat+s o& $is relatio"s$i% it$ t$e !irl. is la"dlady a"d $is lose &rie"d ass+me t$at $e is i" love

it$ $er, b+t $e de"ies t$at it is '"ot exatly tr+e.) is obs+ra"tism may s+!!est $is

s+bo"sio+s a&&etio" &or $er b+t re%+diates ris-i"! t$eir &rie"ds$i% &or a ro"! move a"d

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$ooses to %lay sa&e. #$e !irl, $o '$as %rove" $ersel& a master o& t$e $at8i&4 se"ario) a"d is

%robably aare o& $is %er+sals, o"se+e"tly ma-es t$e &irst move t$ro+!$ t$e ord %roessor.

o sel&8esteem a"d timidity $i"der i"divid+als to e"ter t$e dati"! se"e b+t te$"olo!y

allos t$em to test t$e aters a bit be&ore 9+m%i"! i". Com&ort 3o"es o"&i"ed t$e $araters a"d

i"$ibited t$em to establis$ ommitme"ts. #$e male %rota!o"ist toils i" extrati"! mea"i"! &rom

$at $e s+%%oses are 'messa!es i" dis!+ise) bea+se t$ey $ave 'a stra"!e arra"!eme"t) it$

'"o o&&iial ties.) #$e o+%le orries t$at a roma"ti i"volveme"t ill e"+mber t$eir areers:

$e"e, t$ey 'lay i" ea$ ot$er4s arms) eve" it$o+t marital ties.

#$is a%%re$e"sio", &+sed it$ t$e i"sta"t aess %rovided by te$"olo!y, bl+rred t$e

demaratio" o& %rotrated a&&airs. #$e +rba" !e"eratio" rarely aits &or a"yt$i"!, "ot eve"

eddi"!, to e"!a!e i" sex+al i"tero+rse. #$is se"se o& +r!e"y %rovo-es distress i" a delay i"

t$e re%ly $ereas a %rom%t res%o"se e"!e"ders om&ort. A desire &or i"sta"t !rati&iatio" may

$ave im%elled t$e oma" to %re&er voie alls over ot$er modes o& omm+"iatio". ;+rt$ermore,

t$e 'alays o") &eat+re o& te$"olo!y $ei!$te"s t$e ex%etatio"s o& o"siste"t a"d rei%roated

omm+"iatio" it$ t$e %art"ers, $i$ may ratio"ali3e t$e &re+e"y o& $er alls.

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Aside &rom t$e so+"d o& a voie, do+me"ts also stir o"&+sio". e 'o"ders sometimes

abo+t t$e "at+re o& t$eir relatio"s) a"d tries to read betee" t$e li"es o& $er artiles a"d essays.

*es%ite t$e &at t$at '$er &iles $ave bee" sloly a+m+lati"! o" >$is? data dis-s,) $e still strives

to dei%$er t$e mea"i"! be$i"d t$e 'ords t$at o"e &li-ered aross a om%+ter mo"itor.)

@"deavori"! to +%$old t$eir relatio"s$i%, t$e oma" i" '(ames) alays $e-s +% o"

$im. Comm+"iatio" te$"olo!ies !ive %art"ers more ability to tra- ea$ ot$er, b+t t$ese also

!ive more ability to stray. I"divid+als are tem%ted to be$ave i" mis$ie& t$i"-i"! t$at it a" be

easily o"ealed. $e distr+sts $is boy&rie"d a"d tries to at$ $im it$ $is reatio"s to every

"ame s$e !ives $e" s$e alls. e $as ex%ertly $idde" $is o"!oi"! o""etio"s it$ $is ex8

!irl&rie"d +"til $e t$o+!$tlessly miside"ti&ies $er it$ et$. I"stead o& a +s+al 'ello) t$at '$e

alays said i"to t$e reeiver a&ter t$e $ooti"! a"d teasi"! i" t$e ba-!ro+"d $ad &aded,) $e

sim%ly said 'ey,B i t$ere. I4m !lad yo+ alled.) i" a ma""er t$at de"otes et$ as "ot a

"ame 't$at $e mi!$t $ave &or!otte" or "ot reo!"i3ed.) #e$"olo!y bri"!s o+t t$e !$osts o& %ast

relatio"s$i%s a"d o"sideri"! t$at o"ly a 'so&t brea-+%) may $ave o+rred betee" t$e to, it

de&i"itely tem%ts $im i"to i"&idelity.

I" t$e &ae o& disord, o+%les te"d to $ide be$i"d te$"olo!y a"d "ot om%letely

o"&ro"t iss+es i" t$e relatio"s$i%. I"stead o& %erso"ally a%olo!i3i"! to $er boy&rie"d, s$e resorts

to a" im%erso"al %$o"e all. '$e $ad bee" t$i"-i"! t$at it as ri!$t to all $im t$is ay, i" t$e

mor"i"!. It as ri!$t to ta-e 9+st to mi"+tes to ma-e it better, so t$ey o+ld &eel o"der&+l

a!ai" a"d t$i"!s o+ld !o ba- to t$e ay t$ey ere.)

#$e asy"$ro"o+s "at+re o& om%+ter8mediated omm+"iatio" allos &or delayed a"d

al+lated res%o"ses b+t it may be a barrier &or t$e develo%me"tal %roess t$at o+ld $ave

$a%%e"ed o&&li"e. ;or i"sta"e, s$e alays alls i" t$e o&&ie b+t a !lim%se i"to t$eir

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o"versatio" $e" t$ey are %$ysially to!et$er ex%oses t$e limited ex$a"!e o& ideas betee"

t$em. #$e reader may i"&er t$at t$e disom&ort o& tal-i"! vis88vis i" o"trast to 'all t$e li"es

t$at ere r+""i"! i" $er $ead) i" t$eir %$o"e o"versatio". $e also re&+ses to dislose to $er

boy&rie"d ertai" t$o+!$ts, s+$ as $er disli-e o& 'A &rie"d, more $is t$a" $ers) a"d $er i"te"tio"

i" sta!i"! di&&ere"t "ames.

ome$o, t$e $araters seem to be deta$ed &rom ea$ ot$er. @ve" a&ter t$e +%s a"d

do"s, '$e "ever o"e said $er "ame.) ;or a oma" $o yielded si!"i&ia"e to a "ame,

"e!leti"! $ers made $er &eel i"s+bsta"tial, t$e same ay t$e !irl i" t$e +"&i"is$ed story i"

'*o+me"t) disa%%eared. '$e omes a"d !oes,) o"ly srat$i"! t$e s+r&ae o& $is li&e !ive" $is

&ai"t$earted"ess to dee%e" t$e relatio"s$i%. e $as lear"ed 't$at at+al %ri"to+ts are a more

reliable ay o& stori"! ritte" material) yet $e '"ever %ri"ted o+t a"y o& $er material.)

'Co"sta"tly savi"! to dis- is a ay o& reass+ri"! o"esel&D yes, yes, it4s t$ere, I4ve !ot it.

#$is im%arts a &alse se"se o& se+rity.) #$e readers reo!"i3e t$at t$e relatio"s$i%s s+&&er &rom

i"stability a"d ill %roeed to t$e i"evitable demise bea+se o& t$e i"ter"al i"se+rities t$at t$e

$araters e"d+re. #e$"olo!y4s %oer to alter t$e %ers%etives o& t$e $araters is sym%tomati

o& its s+%remay i" t$e soiety, a %rediame"t best dramati3ed by t$e a%%ro%riate setti"! E t$e

moder" times.