Til’ Text do Us Part: Social Media Introduces the New Revolution of Proposing 2.0

A marriage proposal used to be so simple and intimate - romantic even. You’d come home to candles and roses. Your eyes would meet your special someone taking one knee. You’d glide toward him in a state of surprised bliss, the moment you’ve dreamt of your entire life finally coming true. After many years together, you’d look back on this time and smile. A precious moment shared between just the two of you.

Well, it’s no longer just the two of you. The world has changed and so has proposing. Now, nervous husband-to-be’s are turning to the world of social media to get the job done. You can call it Proposing 2.0.

All-intrusive technology has welcomed itself into every stage of romantic relationships. Virtual dating offers tantalizing emails and IM-ing for hours on end. Twittering and text messaging are sure to be guests at the candlelit dinner table.

Then after some time, your romance is at an all-time high - you feel the that pivotal proposal moment approaching. And there to share in your joy are thousands of online strangers who can’t wait to share their comments of congratulations.

Technology is wonderful, but has it gone too far?

Considering our rich history of romantic gestures, the sharp rise in internet proposals does suggest that some are trading intimacy for online prowess. As a society, we have produced some of the most romantic proposal moments ever recorded - yet most of them lie between the couple and their families. Now, we seem to have forgotten the value of keeping our innermost feelings of love and commitment sacred.

While nothing scares most of us more than being proposed to in front of an audience, recent outlandish public proposals are proving otherwise. In gallant efforts to impress (the girlfriend or public we’re not sure), men have begun using social networking sites like Facebook to proclaim their love atop the virtual balcony.

Matt Van Horn, business developer for Digg, stayed true to his social media roots by recently flooding Twitter, Foursquare, Qik, and Facebook with juicy details of his proposal.

The first Groupon marriage proposal scored a “yes”, after a man contacted the site asking to feature a deal page titled “A Surprise for a Dana from a Greg.” Wanting to surprise his future fiance utilizing her favorite site, the page featured a proposal and editorial packed with facts about the couple. Luckily for Greg, Dana scored the deal before another woman could buy his heart.

More and more, men are combining old school tactics and new social media platforms to ask for their loved one’s hand in marriage. Flash mobs, viral videos, even the Old Spice guy is getting in on the action (proposing on behalf of a Twitter fan).

For the more non-traditional, proposing publicly via a social site could be the perfect way to celebrate one’s engagement. Others might find the new wave too tech-minded for their taste, preferring to keep the emotional experience private. Either way fellas, it’s a good idea to make sure she’s going to say yes before taking the plunge - especially if you’re going live.

Frank Anderson is a social media enthusiast and blogger for all things Internet and technology. Frank also works with mail exchange hosting to keep the company’s emails up and running.