Love, honour and obey? – Is love a commodity in the 21st Century?

In the fast paced 21st century, savvy shoppers are equipped to deal with disposable commodities whilst on the hunt for the next best deal, but has the way we shop affected the way we love?  Has ‘Footballer’s Wives Syndrome’ become the norm amongst young lovers?   As Carrie Bradshaw may write – Do our relationships today exist in the purest sense of love or have they become as transactional as our commercial relationships?   A new report published today by O2 and the future gazing think tank The Global Future Forum (the GFF) examines this very question, as well as the wider role of loyalty in 21st Century society revealing some surprising and challenging views.   What Have You Done For Me Lately? Whilst over 57% of the population will love unreservedly and without expecting anything in return, a look at the generation breakdown suggests that that our loyalty may be evolving under the pressure of a harder-nosed and more transactional attitude to life. A majority (54%) of 16-35s expect to get a return on their devotion compared with only 25% of those aged over 65.   With the rise in divorce rates, the evidence that whilst people have expanded their network of friends the number of really close friends we have is declining, and the growth in online and speed dating are all anecdotal pointers to a change in the nature of relationships in modern societies. With newspaper images of Posh and Colleen et al emerging with busting bags of designer goodies, it would be easy to think that ‘footballer’s wives’ are leading this trend but perhaps predictably, men are more likely to expect to get something back for being loyal than women (47% versus 39%). With newspaper images of Posh and Colleen et al emerging with busting bags of designer goodies, it would be easy to think that ‘footballer’s wives’ are leading this trend but perhaps predictably, men are more likely to expect to get something back for being loyal than women (47% versus 39%).