Contemporary digital communications and their impact on building personal relationships

The article examines a new sociological problem related to the role and place of remote information and communication technologies (ICT), digital means of communication in interpersonal relations, their impact on the individual and changes in society as a whole. The object of the study is interpersonal relations implemented through the use of digital technologies and mobile devices. The analysis of the conceptual provisions of modern theories of society on the prerequisites and causes of the transformation of interpersonal relationships and the phenomenon of intimacy in the transition and wide distribution of communication through mobile devices is presented. New digital forms of interpersonal communication such as online dating, ghosting are characterized. The use of ICT, especially mobile devices (gadgets) and the transition of online dating to a mobile plane with the help of various digital applications in social networks, has led to disappearance of the boundary between real and virtual space is becoming much more blurred, and the level of certainty in the environment is decreasing in social space and in personal relationships for both the initiator and the recipient of communication. The easiness to contact with potential romantic partners breeds a lower commitment to maintaining the relationship. If in the real world there are always doubts, then the Internet space offers an infinite number of partners who are definitely open to acquaintances and communication. Therefore, the rupture of digital relations occurs without explanation, simply interrupting communication, there is no need for efforts to end the relationship. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that, despite the obvious advantages of using modern ICT in everyday life, the simplicity and lightning speed of establishing contact, the multiplicity of choices lead to psychological strain, to the problem of long-term preservation of close relations between partners. A sense of loneliness among people in the modern world arises and grows, posing a threat to the society’s well-being as a whole.