Social media can affect all types of relationships in both positive and negative ways. It can help people stay connected, but it may also lead to lower-quality in-person time.
People can use social media to stay connected to long-distance friends and family members or improve communication with their partners, children, and healthcare professionals.
In contrast, social media use can lead to lower quality in-person time spent with loved ones and relationship dissatisfaction. These drawbacks may relate to preexisting relationship issues or psychological conditions.
Social media can affect relationships in the following positive ways.
1. Helps boost connectivity
Recent research shows that if people use social media actively, it can have a positive impact on social connections.
Family members and friends do not always live in the same city, state, or country. Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are quick and convenient ways for long-distance loved ones to stay in touch.
People can post updates about themselves and others in their lives, such as spouses and children, as well as share photos of vacations and other important family events. Additionally, people can tweak their privacy levels and share more personal information or pictures through individual or group messages.
These and other social media apps allow people to video chat in real time, further helping them feel more connected.
2. Helps improve communication
Margaret E. Morris, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of “Left to Our Own Devices: Outsmarting Smart Technology to Reclaim Our Relationships, Health, and Focus”, conducted a
Morris discusses the benefits of various types of technology. One example is a parent sharing a self-help app with a child to work through an argument. In discussing romantic relationships, Morris highlights how sharing images via social media can also feel like an extra way to communicate.
Using tools such as WhatsApp and texting through an argument may also help some people communicate through writing. This allows a person time and space to formulate the right words when face-to-face conversations prove difficult.
The following are some negative ways in which social media can impact relationships.
1. Fuels functional impairments
Substituting social media interactions for face-to-face communication may impact not only existing relationships but also the ability to form new relationships.
For example, while some researchers note the necessity for more research on social anxiety and social media use, it is possible for people with social anxiety
Furthermore, failing to make or maintain in-person relationships may also appear as a consequence of social media use.
During a 2021 study at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, researchers found that more than half (59%) of the 300 participants reported that prolonged use of social media had impacted their social interactions, negatively affecting family relationships and friendships while also making face-to-face communication more difficult. However, the study consisted only of students who identified as female, ages 17–29 years, so more research is necessary.
2. Decreases quality time and relationship satisfaction
Excessive social media use can negatively impact quality time, create conflict, and reduce relationship satisfaction, whether the relationship is romantic or not.
During a 2021 study, researchers used Instagram and the app’s time-tracking capability to learn more about the connection between social media and relationship satisfaction.
They found that an increase in Instagram usage led to a decrease in relationship satisfaction and an increase in conflict and negative outcomes. Furthermore, the dissatisfaction, conflict, and negative outcomes triggered an addictive use of Instagram.
On the flipside, making daily sacrifices for the relationship partner had a positive effect on relationship satisfaction and decreased the likelihood of conflict and negative outcomes.
However, there is also the issue of “phubbing” — the act of snubbing a person in a social setting by focusing on one’s smartphone. For example, if two people sit down for a face-to-face conversation and one continues to scroll social media apps and check notifications, that person is phubbing the other.
Numerous studies and research materials show that many people feel phubbing is rude and goes against social norms. Phubbees, or people who have experienced phubbing, report a reduced sense of emotional connection, empathetic concern, and interpersonal trust.
Additionally, phubbing may lead to heightened jealousy between romantic partners, weaken their bond, and lower their satisfaction with the relationship.
3. Provides an avenue for infidelity-related behaviors
“Infidelity-related behaviors,” such as communicating with alternative partners, can lead to relationship dissatisfaction, breakups, and divorce. Social media provides such an avenue for those behaviors.
While there is not much empirical evidence regarding social media infidelity-related behaviors (SMIRB) and marital relationships, there is growing research on the topic.
Regardless of the relationship type, ideas for managing social media use around relationships include:
- putting away their smartphones while spending time together
- planning activities that do not leave space or time for scrolling
- leaving their phones outside the bedroom
- avoiding reaching out to old romantic relationships
Tips for general social media management
Ways to manage social media usage during everyday life include:
- moving social media apps away from the home screen or into folders
- turning off social media notifications
- installing internet browser extensions that limit or block social media access on computers
- setting time limits for using social media apps on smartphones — for example, through iPhone’s built-in Screen Time feature or Android’s built-in Digital Wellbeing
- committing to a social media detox
Additionally, social media may bring risks unrelated to relationships.
For example, social media use — including problematic social media use — may:
- have associations with mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem
- spread misinformation about health issues
- lead to less physical activity and issues with sleep patterns
- decrease productivity at home, school, and work
A way that social media may damage relationships is by presenting an idealized version of how relationships should be, creating unrealistic expectations.
Social media may cause a person in a relationship to experience negative emotions, such as mistrust, jealousy, and comparison, eventually eroding the relationship.
Social media can have both positive and negative effects on interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships.
While the advantages of social media and relationships tend to occur naturally, the disadvantages seem to link with existing relationship problems or underlying psychological concerns.
It is important for people to manage their social media usage, as spending too much time on social media can negatively impact numerous aspects of life.