How Social Media Can Negatively Impact Your Relationship

How can social media cause problems in your relationship? Let’s face it, there are plenty of ways to err when it comes to relationships.

Many relational problems are “in your face” types of problems. But some of the more challenging issues facing couples today are the subtle ones. The ones that slip under the radar without you even knowing it.

How do you confront a problem that doesn’t seem like one until things get bad? When it comes to social media, one of the best things you can do is keep informed about potential pitfalls. You can be prepared beforehand to address possible issues early.

Just how can social media harm your relationship? Here are three key ways to avoid.

Projecting a Fake Persona on Social Media

One of the very first dangers when using social media is fabricating who you really are. Much of this happens because we don’t feel safe sharing everything on social media and rightly so.

But the potential danger is that we become two separate personas. There’s the social media personality and the real-life one. Too often, what we display on social media can be shallow and only showcase the enviable aspects of our lives.

What about the unenviable aspects? The tendency is to keep those under lock and key. We can create this social media world where people “love” us and we “love” them.

The only missing ingredient is often the real-life, gritty struggles that accompany face-to-face relationships. As we delve further into social media, real-life issues may start to feel too difficult to address. So, we escape them once again by going online.

And because we’re escaping from our face-to-face relationships, the relationship with our partner becomes neglected and suffers.

Using Social Media to Meet Your Relational Needs Instead of Your Partner

Let’s face it, social media can be addictive. We feel really good when people interact with our posts and make positive comments.

It’s not a stretch at all to say that too many couples receive and give more affirmation on social media than happens in their most important relationship.

And when that takes place, there’s a temptation to stop giving and receiving what you need as a couple. Emotional affairs are rampant on social media because of this.

But even if things don’t technically get to that level, the neglect social media can cause to your relationship may still be significant.

Burning Up Precious Relationship Time Because of Social Media

The final way that social media can negatively impact your relationship is spending too much time there. Most people in relationships are already maxed out timewise between household, child-related and job responsibilities.

There often is little time to spare as a couple as it is. Whether a partner is addicted to social media or not, the vast amount of time spent there can cause problems.

The time that could be poured into your relationship gets burned up. It may be that social media is wrongly used to help medicate already existing relational problems. Or, social media may be the root problem by itself.

Either way, for your relationship to be healthy, you need to set time boundaries. You need to be in control of social media. Social media should never be in control of you.

Is Your Relationship Struggling Because of Social Media?

If so, please know that you’re not alone. This is a common struggle for many couples. And, believe it or not, a good number of couples need outside help to resolve problems like these.

The OC Relationship Center has helped many couples navigate the challenges of social media usage. We’re committed to helping you in that way with your relationship, too. Now could be the perfect time to contact the OC Relationship Center to build a better foundation for a healthy relationship!

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