Break-up with Social Media

By: Katie Petersen

It’s 1950, your grandparents are courting each other around town and splitting a milkshake at an old cafe. Can you fathom the idea that they found each other because they attended the same church and their families had been friends for years - or maybe they were in the same grade in school? They didn’t swipe right on an iPhone app or stumble across each other’s Twitter feed. Sure, they had arguments and their relationship was tested, but never because of “that girl that always likes his posts on Facebook.” Social media is a great invention because it allows us to connect with people all around the world – but is it causing us extra worry and anxiety in our relationships?

In one study by the PEW Research Center, they found that women stress over social media 7% more than men do (Hampton & Lee, 2015). When we use social media, we see our friends and family prospering. Many of your friends may be having children, getting married, or receiving promotions, while you’re still struggling with bills and waiting for your boyfriend to propose. Seeing other women on social media who appear to be doing better than you are can be intimidating - especially if your significant other “likes” all of their achievements (Hampton & Lee, 2015). Furthermore, according to recent research, Snapchat actually causes more jealousy in relationships than Facebook (Utz, Muscanell, & Khalid, 2015). All this stress can have a negative effect on your relationship (Newman, 2016).

But don’t worry, lovers. You can handle these types of situations in a few different ways.  If you begin to recognize stress in your relationship, the best thing to do is sit down and talk to your partner about your concerns. Discuss ways you can work together to lower stress and comfort each other’s insecurities (Tartakovsky, 2016). In addition, consider taking a chapter out of your grandparents’ love story. Take a break from social media and the stress that comes with it. Focus on your relationship and do things that don’t involve technology. Be spontaneous, go on a hike, share ice cream, and most importantly: have fun with each other. Get that stress out of your life and your relationship!

References

Hampton, K., Rainie, L., Lu, W., Shin, I., & Purcell, K. (2015, January 15). Psychological Stress and Social Media Use. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/15/psychological-stress-and-social-media-use-2/

Newman, K. (2016, February 10). Could Stress Be Causing Your Relationship Problems? Greater Good Magazine. Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/could_stress_be_causing_your_relationship_problems#gsc.tab=0

Tartakovsky, Margarita. (2016). “How Couples Can Help Each Other De Stress and Improve Their Relationships”. Psych Central.  Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-couples-can-help-each-other-de-stress-and-improve-their-relationship/

Utz, S., Muscanell, N., & Khalid C. (2015) Snapchat Elicits More Jealousy than Facebook: A Comparison of Snapchat and Facebook Use. Cyberpsychology, Behaviour, & Social Networking. 18(3), 141-146.