The pandemic has made people see how living away from other people work. Many have momentarily experienced being away from loved ones and significant others. A lot has adapted to a kind of living where virtual meetings and digital dinners became norms. What most have experienced is an everyday thing for long-distance couples.
One thing they can be thankful for is living in this era of the digital age. The internet has connected people from everywhere. With over 4 billion internet users worldwide, there’s no doubt that it’s done a lot in communications. This has surely helped couples too when it comes to keeping in touch.
So how exactly technology does this? How does it aid long-distance couples in maintaining familial relationships? Here are some ways technology plays a role in keeping long-distance couples connected.
Getting in touch
Everyone knows that messaging apps have become a staple in everyone’s mobile phones. These programs helped a lot of people to keep in touch. Couples are no strangers to the pledge of constant communication. Good thing that messaging apps exist. They’re mostly free, easy to use, and accessible.
Developers from tech giant Apple are also bringing people a little closer. This is through their more inclusive FaceTime capability. People can now send FaceTime links to Android and Windows users so they can join a call. While the app is still exclusive on Apple devices, non-Apple devices can now join a FaceTime call through web browsers. This will be perfect for couples where one uses Apple and the other party uses other operating systems.
Financial matters
Having a joint account with a bank is a must for partners. But being away from each other has made it difficult for married couples to manage bank accounts. Anything can be tedious, from depositing money from abroad to talking to a banker. It’s great that the internet paved the way for the rise of digital banking. Financial transactions have become easier with banking apps. Now, it’s easier for couples to manage joint finances.
It’s also given couples more transparency. It’s important when making decisions that involve finances, such as choosing schools for children or shopping for the best mortgage rates in the area. A more simplified form of banking apps is digital wallets. Couples use these as a centralized finance manager for everyday spending. They can even involve their children in using digital wallets to teach them financial literacy. Thanks to monetary digitization, remote financial management can be done.
Protecting the kids
Speaking of kids, looking after them could be a little stressful. What more if one party is away? That’s what long-distance parents are going through daily. Thankfully, modern technology gave them a sustainable solution. Simple things like smartwatches for children can be integrated into a parent’s mobile phone. It gives parents the ability to track their children’s whereabouts after bringing them to the school.
Parents can also give mobile phones especially made for children. They can be programmed to only call the parents and emergency contacts. Some of these phones also have built-in GPS trackers. Now, parents can protect their children mutually even if one party isn’t physically with them.
Keeping up with family affairs
There are important family events you can’t miss. Long-distance couples are used to these instances. They can rely on a good internet connection and tools they can use to make virtual parties. Zoom and similar apps have been used to host virtual gatherings. These conferencing platforms are not for corporate use anymore.
Aside from these apps, one can broadcast live on a lot of social media apps. They can even create rooms for events then invite select people they want to watch. It’s never been this easy for people not to miss out on special family occasions. These modern tools are indeed keeping the family complete during celebrations.
Staying in touch
Calling and messaging are the best means of constant communication. But some long-distance couples may need more than these to keep in touch. Showing a little affection can be done through Wi-Fi-enabled long-distance lamps. These pair of lamps can communicate with each other if triggered by the users. Touching the lamp can make the other lamp light up. It’s like a simple gesture that tells the significant other that they’re thinking of them.
Couples are now able to host watch parties through browser extensions or conferencing. They can have a date night while watching the same movie and in sync. These things make it easy for couples to catch up and send their love to each other.
Maintaining consistent connections in a long-distance relationship can be challenging. However, doing it nowadays is significantly easier than decades ago. Thanks to technology, families and partners can get closer even when far away from each other.
