Source: https://sossafetymagazine.com/
It is hard to deny the impact of social media networking sites on modern-day romance. Many people use the internet to conduct active online social lives. You may or may not be in favor of looking romance and relationships on social media, but when loneliness is becoming a huge social problem all over the western world, it’s impossible to ignore how social platforms bridge the gap between people. Many wonder why social media is affecting relationships, and Jennifer Lorusso, a recognized interpersonal and dating expert, has summed it all in one of her articles in one simple sentence,
“One of the main reasons social media has affected so many relationships is because it constantly presents images of so-called ‘perfect lives’ to us.”
This is a problem we have in our society for a while starting with glossy mags and glitzy TV ads and perfect size 8 models. We all know it’s there and occasionally someone has the guts to speak up against images that are obviously staged or photoshopped. Most people have a bad case of the emperor’s new clothes syndrome and refuse to see it for less than ideal.
To make life worth the effort they have to believe in the perfect lives of the beautiful people. They want to be part of the glamorous elite and joining in on social media makes that happen. So they share tender moments to sparkle into the camera for an audience, that on the whole, doesn’t care.
Encouraging Unreal Expectations
If you don’t know what you can’t have, you don’t miss it but when going public with love becomes endemic, unrealistic expectations sour opportunities to develop relationships.
Traditionally, girls fell into the social media trap but guys get this pressure too. Seeing ‘idealized lives’ of couples in love affects everyone making it easy to believe it’s a norm and you should have it too. You just have to put yourself out there enough, drop enough posts and stay on top of updating profile and status. It’s so easy to jump to conclusions and decide the problem is with you when you are invited to like the image of love you’re shown.
Affecting Relationships Negatively
You want to be one of that crowd and paired off like others in the group. Rather than social media platforms bringing its users together, the singles become love pic voyeurs and research is showing they are not happy about it as discovered by Kaspersky Lab. Many relationship therapists and experts have come to agree that social media is also a growing cause of anxiety for those in relationships as couples compete with the images they find online.
Finding the Silver Lining
Social media is not a lost cause for romantics but there are certain issues. The trick is to become more cynical. Not about love, but about how it’s presented. It’s safer to not read anything into emojis and snapshots. It’s up to you to decide what to expect from your dating.
Following the perfect people on social media would be like learning how to bake a cake by watching someone eats it. It’s not all doom and gloom for the die-hard romantic. Quality dating sites with chat rooms are still the best way for singles to meet new people and there’s clear evidence now that couples do find true love.
