Nowadays, young people are finding it more difficult to maintain successful relationships. The theory is that technology has become such a big part of their lives, so much so that it has become a barrier against face-to-face social interaction. In other words, the Millennial Generation (aged 18-30) finds it easier, and less anxiety-provoking, to communicate through social media and text messaging than in person.

This lack of real-life connections is especially noticeable in Millennials' romantic relationships. Thanks to dating apps like Tinder and Bumble, young people are able to meet, date and get to know more people than ever before, thus forming relationships more quickly. Because of this technology, they are able to interact with a larger amount of people in a shorter amount of time.

Most of the people I know who are my age have Tinder (whether or not they actually use it). Many of them have met, dated, are currently dating or have hooked up with people they've met through apps like this. This is just how a lot of the Millennial Generation meet people nowadays. We still meet people through friends or while out in the "real world," but in addition to that, we're able to connect with others whom we may have never even crossed paths with. This new way of dating can be both good and bad, and I'll be sharing my opinions on why that is.

Let's start off with the bad:

1. Online dating is fast and biased.

It's like speed-dating to a certain extent. You put your best qualities on your profile and hide everything else. If someone is interested, great! If not, oh well. But you're both really only seeing a fraction of what that individual is like (if they even are who they say they are), and unless you want to know more about this person, that's all you're pretty much going to get.

2. The Internet is full of lies.

There's no telling that the hottie who lives 35 miles away actually looks like that and not like your grandma's second ex-husband. That's just how it is. Most of the time though (at least from my experiences both first and second-hand), people are pretty real, maybe not as attractive as their photo from eight months ago, but they still basically look like their photos. Basically.

3. People are disposable.

There's no telling if you'll ever even meet this person if all you do is text and Snapchat them. You can start off in the honeymoon phase one day, texting everyday, getting to know each other, and then bam, you're broken up six hours later. But do not fret! Once you're done with that person, you have a whole string of others waiting to chat you up.

4. Everything is online.

You can find out your potential new boo's whole life story with just a few clicks and keywords. Or, chances are, your boo is posting about their day on Snapchat, so what's the point of asking them what they do if you already saw it on their Story? All of this online access makes the talking part of the relationship pretty limited most of the time, especially in real life. If you already saw their trip to the Bahamas on Instagram, practically met their entire family when you were Facebook stalking them and you figured out their favorite pizza topping while scrolling through their middle school Twitter account, then what can you possibly talk about when you meet up?

So, to conclude with the negatives: online dating is risky, there's no telling who is on the other side of that screen and it doesn't give people the whole "real-life" human interaction that is vital in relationships. However, that's only if you don't make that interaction possible. If you and your partner decide to meet, then online dating can be really great!

Here's some reasons why online dating is a good thing:

1. You can tailor your interests and matches to fit what you want.

You're in charge when it comes to online dating. You can make your profile as public or private as you want, and you can write whatever you want in your bio. There are tons of specific relationship sites and apps to fit what you want in life. If you don't want to continue communicating with someone, just unmatch or block them.

2. Online dating is helpful for shy people.

You don't have to worry about approaching people face-to-face when you choose online dating. This can be really difficult for a lot of people, so being able to simply message people and not have to worry about their reaction is a great way for shy folks to meet others. If they don't respond, then it's not a big deal, at least they didn't laugh or spit in your face, right? If they did respond though, awesome! All you have to do now is meet up, which will likely be awkward at first, but always remember that you both wanted to meet.

3. It's a chance to make connections that you may otherwise not make.

Whether or not the person you chat with ends up being who they say they are, you'll get a memorable experience out of meeting them. They may expose you to all kinds of things you would have never thought you liked or knew about or wanted to know more about. You never know who you'll meet and what they'll add to your life, plus it never hurts to go out to dinner with people, and you are under no obligation to ever see or talk to them again if you wish!

4. It doesn't have to be serious.

Online dating is easy in such a way that there really isn't a lot of pressure put on you to make decisions, or even decide if you'd like to continue seeing someone right away. Make things casual! If you don't want to go on an actual date and you just want to hang out with someone, let them know. If a one-time thing is what you wanted, then that's fine. If you're content with just chatting online, okay. Whatever you feel, again, is all up to you.

5. You never know who you'll meet.

Just because you met online doesn't mean your relationship is any less valid. You're both people, and you enjoy each other's company. It doesn't matter how you met, what matters is that you're happy together.

Whether or not online dating is your thing, there's no denying that it has definitely become a thing, especially in a world that is quickly becoming controlled by technology. And no matter what your opinions of online relationships are, remember that it is none of your business how others meet people and make connections. Just do you, and things will work out just fine.