Roses may fade as more intimate and public gifts proliferate on Valentine’s Day
Roses are facing competition on Valentine’s Day as social media platforms and applications create personalised and often more intimate ways to say “I love you” – publicly.
Online greetings are often dismissed as trite, but social media companies and apps are increasingly offering their users ways to make declarations of love more intimate and personal, and adding what may be the most motivating factor – an audience.
Line lets users create their own stickers and TikTok, of course, allows its users to create video clips to profess their adoration for another person directly and publicly.
For those seeking more privacy, video calls are surging on Valentine's Day, social media monitoring services say.
Academics have taken note of the trend.
Couples who share their passion on Facebook have stronger relationships than those who do not, according to a study by Virginia state-based Christopher Newport University.
This study also found that when couples switched their Facebook status from “single” to "in a relationship" it brought them closer together.
Perhaps the discomfort of saying "I love you" in person is one factor driving the surge in online confessions of love, social media analysts say.
They add, however, that the ability to personalise such statements with photos, video clips, and other attractive elements contributes to the rise of digital Valentine’s Day gifts.
Applications – like Dia de San Valentin and Feliz San Valentín – have been developed specifically to say “I love you” on Valentine's Day.
They allow users to say the phrase publicly in new ways, like the one who wrote: “You are my favourite place to be.”
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