Intimacy and distance in the age of technology : How technology and digital media platforms help couples in long-distance relationships create and nurture intimacy

Abstract: This study looks into the intricacies of long-distance romantic relationships and the ways in which intimacy is created and nurtured with the help of technology and digital media platforms. It uses a methodological triangulation, combining quantitative content analysis with qualitative interviews, as tools to investigate the doings of couples who find themselves geographically challenged. The results point out to the fact that people adapt to these  circumstances and use technology as a third player of the relationship, creating and maintaining intimacy mainly through conversations and stepping away from the physical side of a romantic relationship.