6 signs that social media is ruining your relationship

Social media has made it easier for people to interact with their loved ones either through its instant messaging feature or by sharing contents like photos and videos. However, as beneficial as social media may be in bridging some of the gaps that a couple may have, it can sometimes be a driving force for a relationship to turn sour.

Social networking sites aren’t really designed to ruin relationship. Therefore, it isn’t just social media per se; rather the people that are using it should get blame for the demise of one’s relationship. Here we enlist some of the road signs that you can look out for before things get out of hand.

Losing touch of reality – Rather than spend quality time, some people waste their time checking what’s ‘Trending’ or scouring their dusty photo albums for a good picture for #TBT.

Then there’s this usual case of ‘Instagram-first-before-we-eat’ that drives most salivating men to the brink of internal combustion. I mean, after waiting almost an hour for the food to be served, the last thing we want is to wait more while our partner takes a good angle of the grub, right?

Waning physical interaction – Any expert would tell you that having an open communication is crucial to the longevity of the relationship. But because some people tend to rely so much on social media, they sometimes forget the value of real life conversation.

“Tell me something that isn’t on your timeline”.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, some people even try to fix a simple misunderstanding over IM/PM which, most of the time, do more harm than good. This is probably understandable as a last resort or for couples who are oceans away from each other, but the fact of the matter is, there’s really no substitute for face-to-face conversation. This is somewhat related to the next item on the list which is…

Lack of sincerity – Back in the good old days of snail-mailing, one can’t help but feel adored after receiving a mail from their better half. And who wouldn’t? The time and effort it takes for that person to write that letter (probably adding a dash of perfume on the paper once it’s done) and heading towards the post office to send it is an incredible feat in itself.

Nowadays it’s a totally different story. It’s actually a bit ironic if you think about how social media have made it easier for us to communicate with anyone (from virtually anywhere in the world, if I may add), yet some people can’t even exert an effort to compose a heart-felt tweet or an email to their significant other. In exchange, they get a Pink heart emoticon. How pathetic, right?

Ranting on social media after a fight – Blah, blah, blah. Cry me a river. Yes, I understand you’re upset. Heck, you may even have a valid reason to go along with that long face. But I’m just curious…

Regardless if it’s just for the sake of venting out or just being a plain dimwit seeking sympathy/attention, the truth is, ranting on social media over a petty fight won’t do you any good. I can give a ton of reasons why it can’t and won’t be helpful; but the bottom line is that it just creates unnecessary commotion that can possibly aggravate the situation (and/or your partner) even more.

Privacy and Trust issues – It’s a fact of life that there are some things in this world that are meant to be kept to oneself. Sadly, however, some people DON’T share the same ideology which leads them to think that it’s OK to share everything on social media and not create any sort of tension in the process.

The same applies for trust. Being in a relationship with someone doesn’t give a person the authority to check out their partner’s social media account with their consent. While it’s true that one need not to worry if they don’t have any hidden agenda, the fact that they’re snooping around their partner’s phone shows one’s lack of trust and respect for their partner’s privacy.

Blowing simple things out of proportion – It’s crazy (and stupid) how some people put so much gravity on a simple thing such as ‘Liking’ on Facebook and vice versa to a point that a relationship hangs in the balance just because of it.

I know that people can get a little irrational at times, but fighting over something as petty as liking or not liking a post/picture on Facebook takes that to a whole ‘nother level. If you know anyone like this, tell them that it’s not a long-time partner that they should be looking for, rather medical attention.

Conclusion

Based on a study conducted by Russell Clayton of University of Missouri, people who use Facebook more than once a day are more likely to report relationship conflicts arising from social media. Whether you agree with his and his colleagues’ research is completely up to you. However, the main takeaway from all of this is MODERATION and that it pays to THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK.