There's nowt to 'like' about dating in the modern age

One: Facebook tells you when someone's online, when they've read your messages (and when they're ignoring you).

And two: WhatsApp does exactly the same, but shows you the exact minute that your crush couldn't be bothered to respond to you. Mortal wound.

When I was a teenager, no one really had mobile phones, and those that did had no credit. If you fancied someone, you got your mate to tell them, or you smiled at them.

Flashing someone your pearly whites was akin to double-tapping a photo of your love interest's face on Instagram. Then things would develop or they wouldn't.

These days, if you fancy someone and are so inclined, you can mooch on their Facebook profile. You can snoop online and see what they like to have for dinner.

You can see a photo of their ex that's so much slimmer and prettier than you. Pow! Fatality!

Maybe you'll be brave and add them as a friend. Maybe you'll have the guts to speak to them.

This is where it all goes wrong.

Things might go further and you'll Snapchat. They might like your selfies (they like you, they like you!) but then they might lose interest and not respond.

You'll see when they've liked another girl's selfie/kicked you straight in the guts.

You'll see if they've read your message and not replied, yet they've commented on someone else's status. Ouch!

However, on the flip side of the coin, being on the receiving end of someone's affections can be just as difficult.

Imagine this: you're on Facebook, catching up with your friend in Cambodia or speaking to an old pal from school when someone that fancies you pops up on chat.

You don't fancy them back, you don't want to chat and you're not a fan of 'what u up 2?' small talk. What do you do?

Do you talk to them anyway, even if that means leading them on? Do you ignore them? Do you shut down your phone and throw it out of the kitchen window like it has the power to give you Ebola?

Social media is just a minefield when it comes to matters of the heart. A couple of years ago, statistics showed that Facebook was stated in a third of divorces.

The course of true love cannot run smoothly where the web is involved. Even when we're in relationships, we might be hassled to change our status to 'in a relationship'.

There's even an option to say 'in a relationship but it's complicated'. Why you'd ever use that is beyond me.

Stressed partners with low self esteem might ask to look through our private messages, might flip out when they see another person liking too many of our statuses for comfort.

Some couples even have joint Facebook accounts. So that nothing is secret and everything is shared. What a life.

When I was a teenager, I thought I was in love with everyone that I fancied and would cry with heartache when I heard that they fancied another.

That was nothing compared to the painful blows inflicted by Facebook and WhatsApp on the youth of today.

I'm just glad I managed to find my self-esteem before I got an iPhone.