Social media can be fun, but it can also be seen as a threat to some relationships.
For high schoolers, the world seems to revolve around technology and social media. Everyone is always singing a song they may have heard on TikTok or talking about a picture someone posted on Instagram, but how are we able to maintain healthy relationships along with the flaunting of people’s lives being posted everywhere? Along with these relationships we try to have with friends or significant others, there is always a chance the internet can ruin it all. One quick post can affect all personal connections and even one’s life.
In a relationship, there is always the expectation of mutual trust. One small like or comment on someone’s post can cause jealousy and lead to doubt or worry. Social media makes it so easy to see what’s being posted and who has liked the post. It gives easy access to view past posts or comments. It makes it effortless to monitor what one’s partner is viewing or following, which honestly seems like an invasion of privacy. It also gives an inside view of how a partner may interact with others online. The way that anyone can see anything one likes or who they follow can also seem a little too public. Often, anyone can view where one is, even if the location feature is turned off. Social media tends to be an invasion of privacy and not just towards a relationship.
Since we live in a world full of screens, it’s easy to scroll on TikTok for hours or watch Instagram reels all night. Most often, we get caught up in watching influencers who show their entire life on a platform for everyone to see. This can lead to one hoping for the same sort of life without knowing all of the details. Oftentimes, influencer couples show what a happy life they live, and though that may be true, this can warrant high expectations for someone who may not have found their love yet, especially a high school student. Social media can give teenagers the wrong idea of what love is and what it should be. Love should be based on one’s own feelings and emotions, and not on what someone in a video is telling them how they should treat their partners.
Along with an altered idea of love, social media can also hold unrealistic expectations of relationships. One may think that their significant other must post them frequently to show love towards them, but not everyone thinks this way. Social media takes a deep dive into many personal lives that are published on a certain platform to gain popularity. This, of course, only shows the positive side to a relationship opposed to what is behind the scenes. A popular YouTube family, called the ACE family, shared happy family content for years, until announcing a divorce in Jan. 2024. Since this family has always shown fun videos, this came as a shock to many fans, who accumulated many assumptions. This is just one out of many examples showcasing how social media can only show the surface of a relationship and not what’s beyond.
Another way social media can be harmful to relationships is through rumors. These are easily spread by just a little bit of information, and anyone can twist words or actions. It’s often hard to believe what’s on social media apps, but most of the time, we are all so vulnerable that it’s easy to think that everything is true and honest. TikTok couple, Alex Warren and Kouvr Annon, who also use YouTube and Instagram to share their life, recently shared a vlog of their wedding for everyone to see. Obviously, this is a big part of their relationship, and they chose to share it publicly, which gives the whole world a view into their new marriage. The couple is happy and still shares their life on social media, but many of their followers took it upon themselves to claim they have broken up or been divorced, though this is not true; anyone on the internet can say something, and everyone else plays along. Even with one misunderstanding, people can and will believe anything.
The internet doesn’t just affect couples; it also affects friendships and family relationships. Honestly, social media doesn’t necessarily kill love, but it definitely does not represent what love should be. Social apps seem to run our lives and take over every single thing that goes on, but if the people are right in one’s life, they will choose the people they love over some silly app.