Here's why tech has taken over our relationships

This is part of CNET's "It's Complicated" series about the role technology plays in our relationships.

If you had to explain dating in 2017 to a time traveler from the 1950s, what would you say?

"I would explain texting first, and how it takes five minutes now for people to decide they want to hook up," says comedian Nikki Glaser. "I would tell women, 'Buckle up, b***h, this is not going to be a fun ride.'"

Glaser, 32, has made a professional study of dating sites like Tinder and the hookup culture that experts say has reshaped many people's sex lives. It provides lots of fodder for her comedy routine.

For past generations, relationship milestones meant things like "going steady." Today's relationships can strike up after a few minutes of text chats.

And since nearly everything is done using an app on a phone, "you can have a relationship with someone and never hear their voice," Glaser says.

 

Photography effects for iPhone

In an age where Photoshop users routinely manipulate photographs to perfection, the thought-provoking depth and artistic value of imperfect "reality" images is often lost. Now, thanks to FotoMuse, anyone with an iPhone can infuse snapshots with artistic depth in just a few simple steps.

FotoMuse, anyone with an iPhone can infuse snapshots with artistic depth

Photographer and fitness expert Kris Gebhardt, who developed the app, initially used his iPhone when an unexpected camera jam threatened to ruin a photo shoot, but he now regularly takes fashion, glamour, beauty, and figure shots with the mobile device. He comments: