Is Social Media Getting in the Way of Your Relationship?

Social media usage can influence couple relationships, both positively and negatively. The nature and amount of the usage of social media and social networking sites sometimes becomes a cause of tension between partners for a variety of reasons, some of which are listed below:

Maintaining Privacy

While social networking allows partners to integrate their networks, it can also cause conflict when the two individuals have differing needs for levels of privacy and independence, such as sharing profiles, passwords or details of their relationship.

What to Share, What Not to Share

Many of us have heard of couples having disagreements about their relationship status or what is posted to or about each other on social networking sites. There could also be different preferences regarding the duration of use, time of use, content shared with others and with each other or the nature of friends or communities.

Are You Paying Attention?

Accessing social media during a conversation or over a meal can often become a source of conflict. Scrolling through news feeds and updates while you are ‘spending time with your partner’ can make your partner see you as disinterested, inattentive or sometimes, even rude or uncaring.

Fear of Missing Out

‘Is my relationship as exciting as my friend’s?’ or ‘Are we sharing as much as my friends and their partners who are happy with each other?’ Scrolling through the status updates, exotic photographs, and messages shared by your friends might make you feel dissatisfied and might make you question your relationship or your partner’s commitment. These evaluations gradually pave the way for diminished self-esteem and several insecurities and become easy sources of interpersonal conflicts. Additionally, certain online activities such as image uploads, status updates, likes or events that either of you plan to participate in without the other, can sometimes cause feelings of envy, insecurity, and dissatisfaction. This could further lead to increased monitoring, and subsequently relationship conflicts.