Relationships and Social Media

Social media is a wonderful way to keep in touch with family and friends. It can also be a great way to meet new people. Keeping in mind that anonymity online can lead to some people not being completely honest about who they are, overall social media networks like Facebook and Instagram are great way to meet new people. However, it’s not all roses and sunshine when it comes to the effect of social media on relationships.

If you are in a serious relationship social media websites can be tricky to navigate. If there is any insecurity or distrust within the relationship, social media can stoke the flames of an already volatile situation. There are a few steps you can take to make sure social media interaction doesn’t ruin your relationship.

Transparency

First and foremost, be honest. If you have a profile, let your partner know that it’s there. If your profile was established before your entered into your current relationship, you may want to look through it to make sure there isn’t anything that would be disrespectful to your current partner. Examples would be pictures with exes, posts that are sexual n nature and don’t involve your current girlfriend or boyfriend, or relationships statuses or comments that make it seem like you’re still single and ready to mingle.

Anonymous Intimacy

Sounds completely ridiculous right? The truth is that people in stable, loving relationships sometimes use social media to reaffirm that they are still desirable. People will sometimes reach out to other people social media in order to feel connected, not realizing that emotional relationships they are establishing people online are akin to cheating. When an emotional connection is established with someone from your past or someone you’ve never even met via social media, it can become addictive. If your partner happens to find out about it, it could ruin your relationship. Make sure that you seek out emotional connection with your partner before going online to find that warm and fuzzy feeling. If you can’t find it with your current partner you may want to re-evaluate your relationship status.

Old Flames, New Fire

The growing popularity of social media networking is putting people in touch with folks they haven’t seen in a long time. Often, people who are in committed loving relationships reconnect with ex boyfriends or girlfriends through social media. No one wants to see their current boyfriend or girlfriend striking up a new relationship with an ex. It’s important to realize that you don’t have to accept every ‘friend request’; you don’t have to put yourself or your partner in an awkward situation. And ex is usually an ex for a reason. Leave the past in the past and do not allow old flames to reconnect with you via social media platforms.

Ultimately social media is a very useful tool for keeping in touch with people near and far. Just make sure that you take the steps necessary to avoid conflict within your current relationship. Real-world relationships with the people we love and trust are far more important than any social media outlet.