PRINT: HTH: The Importance of Romance In-Person

Why our generation needs to refocus on physical interaction in romance.

TJ Maiello, Content Co-Editor-in-Chief

May 15, 2026

TJ Maiello (’27) next to a drawing emphasizing the importance of romance in real life (IRL).

The beauty of romance. A timeless phenomenon concerning all ages, from adolescents to the elderly. The addictive story we watch on our TV screens and read in books over and over. The gateway to the most magnificent path to express the plethora of emotions that make us human. The gateway that reminds us that our existence on this earth is to complete our spiritual journey to connect with humanity. With romance, we explore emotions of love, despair, bliss and inexplicable feelings that make life worth living. And it all starts with spotting that good-looking person across the room and making the terrifying venture to go talk to them.

Romance and courtship have been changing since the beginning of human history. It is an intrinsic part of our nature. Across eras of humanity leading up to the current period of time, romance has been vital for human connection and expression of one’s authentic, transparent self.

But despite all the different ways to express intimacy, one factor remained constant: people interacted with each other. They got to know one another authentically, face-to-face. It was not only what was said, but also what was not said, that established an emotional connection between two people capable of sparking an everlasting love.

As society has progressed, ways to express affection have evolved with developments in technology. The increasing popularity of social media in recent years has prompted our generation to rely on it for romantic purposes to a greater extent. Before, younger people used to “get to know each other” by going out on dates to the movies or an arcade. Now, the new norm for romance seems to be a complex chain of “talking stages” that two people must complete before they can “get to know each other” well enough to date.

Over ten years ago, only 1% of relationships began online. Now, it has become the most common way to develop a relationship, with 39% of married couples meeting through internet dating sites as of 2024, per the Institute for Family Studies.

Whether it is at school, work or any random setting, the process stays pretty similar. The first of these steps is to exchange phone numbers, Instagram, Snapchat, or any other form of virtual communication. Next, send subtle hints through text to let them know you are interested. After a while, a FaceTime call is necessary as well. Then, the real-life interaction happens. Finally.

When you interact with the person in real life, something feels off. This is not the person you have become familiar with over text. In what feels more like a verification process than attraction, texting gives people time to paint a curated image of how they want you to perceive them instead of their true selves. Many times, it works. People tend to project their ideal crush onto someone who cannot genuinely fill that space, and our generation’s adherence to the texting norm is exacerbating this problem.

Virtual methods of communication are defeating the entire purpose of romance, and we are unwittingly conforming to it.

Love is supposed to grow freely. Each and every bond between two people should be one-of-a-kind. Social media romance, however, is making the beautiful, inseparable connection between two souls become a formulaic, strategic process. Not to mention that what is supposed to be a bond stronger than life itself becomes increasingly superficial with each text sent back and forth.

It is up to us to restore the beauty of romance before it is too late. The best part? All it takes is to go up to that special person and say hello.

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About the Contributors

TJ Maiello, Staff Writer

TJ Maiello is an IB junior at Robinson and a Knight Writer entering his first year on the newspaper staff. Maiello’s favorite school activity is sports in Robinson, participating for two years in both varsity basketball and baseball, which taught him the idea of family by connections, not blood. “The baseball team is like a family, and I appreciate that because they’re a group of people to turn to whenever I’m going through something. It’s always nice have people to rely on like family in a school environment,” Maiello said Besides sports, Maiello’s extracurriculars included Criminal Justice Club and Hispanic Culture Club, both of which he founded, through this his ability to teach and give opportunities to both clubs. “With criminal justice, I try to spread awareness about professional opportunities in the legal system. And then for Hispanic culture, I try to teach people about different cultures within the Hispanic community and create a safe space for people to hang out with their Hispanic friends,” Maiello said. His after-school activities include hanging out with friends and doing a lot of homework. He’s also honing his skills with the electric guitar, working on creating a unique sound like his favorite music artists. “So recently I picked up the electric guitar and have been practicing that a lot, it’s kind of tough with school and sports to balance it out, but I’ve been trying to work on it as much as I can, so hopefully, I can get good at that in the next, like, year or so,” Maiello said. Maiello joined the newspaper, particularly in the hopes of bettering his skills in writing, taking the opportunity as a means of growth and development. “I’ve been pretty passionate about writing for quite a while now, so I kind of want to take the newspaper as an opportunity to better my skills through news.” (Profile by Jordan Lee)

Garret Senzon, Staff Writer

Garrett Senzon is a sophomore at Robinson, and staff writer for Knight Writers. This is Senzon’s first year on staff. Being Senzon’s first year on staff, he has high expectations for the class and high hopes for himself. He wants to become the sports editor next year. “I joined newspaper because I’m interested in writing, and I like sports,” Senzon said. Even though Senzon is in IB, he does a lot for the school and its clubs. A member of speech and debate, Senzon competes in the mock congress category. In mock congress, he works with others and makes points to get his bill and other bills passed. “My most recent bill was about clean energy, reduce taxes on revenue generated from clean energy sales,” Senzon said. In connection to this bill, he spends his weekends with the Marine biology club cleaning up our local beaches. Not only environmentally aware, Senzon is a dual threat. He’s got the brains and the brawn. He’s played multiple sports throughout his life, some for fun and others competitively. Currently, he plays competitive tennis for Robinson. “I play both singles and doubles, but I prefer singles,” Senzon said. Apart from his training related to tennis, going to the gym is one of his most practiced hobbies. His favorite kins of workouts include is biceps and triceps. Though Senzon focuses on tennis in high school, he has a deep-rooted love for football, especially the Florida Gators. “Yeah, yeah, let’s go Gators. Welcome to the swamp baby,” Senzon said. While at his age he is unsure of where he wants to attend college, he knows that he would like to go into Marine Biology. “It can benefit the environment and i find it interesting. Additionally, I want to be by the water,” Senzon said.