From Rom-coms to Rom-Toks: In the era of Romatizicing all, Romance is not the exception

siri says:

I love(!) this topic! I think it’s really timely too considering how almost every holiday movie is basically a romcom. I can never quite connect with social media couples the same way I get into romcoms even though objectively the videos are very sweet. Maybe I’m unromantic but I’m always like these are real people they aren’t characters what if they break up? Will they be forced to awkwardly keep pretending to be very in love to avoid upsetting their audience or will they have to do an equally awkward breakup announcement? That’s just my personal anxieties I guess about the blurred boundaries between online and offline life not only for the influencer but for everyone that posts online. I also think it’s interesting that these shortened tiktok trend versions of romcoms always reference the original romcoms of the 90’s. They position themselves within an existing framework of nostalgia and perfect love stories.