Relationships and Social Media

By Ashley Schultz

Social Media has not only changed the way people express their opinions and the way companies reach out to potential consumers, yet it has also changed the way some significant others relationships either flourish or suffer. Here are some ways that Social Media and Technology in general can make an effect on your relationship.

Some of us are still “friends” with our exes on Facebook or whatever platform you might be using. This can be a positive; it might make the struggle from being lovers to friends a little more seamless. Of course, it can also be negative and your current lover might feel uneasy with your continued friendship. Also, there is always the possibility that your ex could be malicious and haunt you with old memories on your wall.

Social Media also increases opportunities of infidelity. Old flames send you a friend request and memories are brought back from your past. With Social Media it is easy to click on a picture and send an innocent message that later cultivates into a full-blown affair.

Couples often post themselves on vacations or a night out on the town. This can bring comparison of relationships. You see your friends’ husband has brought them breakfast in bed. This can skew expectations of what a relationship should be like and ultimately cause tension in a relationship where these acts might not be happening.

Social Media causes more insecurity between couples. If you see someone else in a photo with your partner, it is easy for jealously to arise. Social Media can make people pay more attention to what they do not have instead of being grateful for what they do have.

Social Media can do wonders for long distance relationships. It allows people to communicate better and makes the distance not seem as far. If your relationship is strong and you are strong people individually, social media will not be able to get in the way that much, it all depends on how much you love each other in the end.

Ashley Schultz graduated with her Master’s in Public Relations from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL. You will find her social media pages filled with her three cats: Jesse, Walter, and Hank and of course any viral cat video!