Does Social Media Harm Relationships

Does Social Media Harm Relationships
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Does Social Media Harm Relationships
Social media is a computer-based technology that helps share ideas and thoughts by facilitating the building of virtual communities and networks. Some of the largest and popular platforms include Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter which are generally characterized by user-generated content and personalized profiles. Video and image content provides users with an opportunity to interact with the content or between each other. Such interactions have revolutionized how people keep in touch with friends, family, business partners, and advertisers. People across the globe with like-minded interests have the opportunity to share their thoughts, emotions, and insights on any topic. Topics on relationships have been a major discussion point since the invention of the internet. While romanticizing relationships is not a new concept, social media has given people access to other people's personal information. Consequently, it begs the question of whether social media helps or harms relationships.
Rom-coms and written scripts have romanticized relationships and managed to create a fairy tale representation of relationships far from reality. However, with social media, the content shows real couples living real lives. Therefore, looking at seemingly perfect couples online interferes with the reality of other people's romantic relationships. Whether it's sharing a funny meme, a quote, or a voice message, social media is an effective tool for people in relationships to keep connected. This is especially useful for individuals in long-distance relationships that use the platforms to maintain their daily interactions. Finding advice on relationships can be daunting for new couples, especially with no role model or access to a professional. In a bid to promote their business, psychotherapists and relationship bloggers have turned to social media for new clients.
Consequently, there are reputable accounts that create content that can be useful in developing and maintaining a healthy relationship. Social media has also made it easier for single people to meet each other. A survey conducted in 2017 found that 39% of heterosexual couples stated that they meet their partners online compared to 22% in 2009. Therefore, there is a feeling that the internet is replacing the role of families in bringing people together CITATION Kri20 \l 1033 (Kristina Hallett, 2020).
Personal profiles have replaced printed photograph albums as the place to store and share memories. Consequently, individuals only post the best highlights of their lives which are curated and filtered to create a perception of success. Such images create unrealistic expectations of what a relationship is supposed to look like. Couples are therefore put pressure upon themselves to measure up to their favorite social media personality. Inevitably, they will neglect their identities and relationship in search of the life portrayed by the highlight reels on social media. The same idea is supported by research that shows social media increases jealous tendencies and relationship dissatisfaction in college students. Life on social media is fast-paced, and individuals are exposed to new content every day. Therefore, excessive use of social media can make daily life routines seem less interesting. This involves relationships where individuals get distracted or find less satisfaction by spending quality time with a partner. Seeing filtered and edited images can trigger a sense of insecurity, especially about personal body image. Insecurities about the body affect relationships, especially sexual matters, eating disorders, mood disorders, and poor self-esteem. These issues are more individualistic than relational; however, they are an integral part of an individual's identity and can bleed into the relationship CITATION MAY21 \l 1033 (DOLLARHIDE & DRURY, 2021).
The first argument argues that it is easier for single people to meet online. This assumes that social media is inexpensive, which is false as it trades manual labor for time and emotional investment. Dating apps are expensive, and meeting random people from social media can be risky. It is not easy to authenticate the person behind the account; therefore, people are still skeptical about meeting relationship partners online. Another fallacy of the first argument is that social media only has positive effects on long-distance relationships. The online world has created an expectation that an individual is constantly accessible n matter what time of day.
Consequently, anxiety and insecurities kick in when a partner is suddenly not accessible despite having a valid reason. Another commonly observed characteristic is the need to proclaim their relationship status online. Individuals use this as a defense mechanism to let people walk into their partners' lives to know that they are unavailable.
The second argument seems to assume that the results of social media cannot be measured. However, this is false as there are data elements that provide highly detailed insights into social media programs' impact. The data can be tied to searches and sales, which provide accurate metrics. ...