According to the statistics, at this moment, the world population stands at almost 7.7 billion. The number who use the Internet is a staggering 4.6 billion, and the most popular activity is accessing social media (around 4.1 billion users.) That means well over half the people on this planet will click on a web browser at some point today, the vast majority of them to check out what’s trending on Twitter, the latest Facebook posts, how many likes their last Instagram post generated, and many more. But how does this social media obsession affect reality? Cheekylovers dating site specialists have shared their opinion on how social media can influence our private lives.
How does social media influence ongoing relationships?
There are many different ways in which social media will impact how partners see each other. There is a disjoint between relationships – essentially a union of two people – and social media networks. Their very definition is a collection of multiple personalities, often from a disparate range of cultural backgrounds.
Positive and negative impact on relationships
Anyone in the early stages of entering into a relationship can use social media to their advantage. Because people using online dating tend to be Internet-savvy, there is every chance they will fall into the demographic of active social media users. As you are getting to know someone by exchanging messages via a dating resource’s discreet communication platform, you could also be investigating aspects of their background on their various other channels.
Once you have a name and location, you don’t exactly have to be Sherlock Holmes to be able to track down their Facebook page, or Instagram or Twitter feeds. This isn’t necessarily snooping! It’s merely taking advantage of the available tools to enable you to build a more rounded picture of the character at the end of your messages. Simply browsing through social media timelines can give you an overview of the person you interact with. At its most basic level, this sort of attention can at least confirm someone’s identity and rule out any catfish (site users using fake profiles). Studying how individuals interact with family and friends will give a truer picture than a few text lines via a dating site communication channel.
The downside of social media is how intrusive this addictive form of screen interaction can become. It’s hardly an uncommon sight to see couples who are out on a date, perhaps seated opposite each other in a restaurant’s secluded corner, engaging in snippets of conversation while much of their attention is rooted to that tiny screen on their handheld device. The constantly pinging sound of notifications and alerts will result in a craving to check on real-time development in the virtual world, no matter how trivial their subject matter.
Is it better to look for a partner on social media?
Seeking out prospective partners on a social media platform can certainly be done, but the biggest issue is the fact that these outlets are public. It can be difficult to court someone in this environment when it is all too easy to mix up security settings so that private messages can be read by anyone who has permission to view your account. It would be far better to rely on an actual dating site, where you know that you will be able to interact with the other singles on a strictly one-to-one basis. This encourages people to be far more open with each other, developing the confidence to build a strong rapport in a much shorter period.
Tips for building healthy relationships online
One of the best tips for fostering healthy relationships online is to be honest from the outset. There are too many people out there who use these platforms’ relative anonymity to hide behind a mask. This might range from the previously-mentioned antisocial trait of catfishing, right down to simply telling lies during conversations in a misguided attempt to make you seem more interesting than you are. The golden rule: don’t. Online dating sites can be vibrant little communities where people become familiar with each other, especially in the chat rooms where communal interaction can take place. If you come across as insincere or rude, word of this will get out. The last thing you’d want to do is build a reputation for being untrustworthy.
To conclude, social media has become a defining feature of the early 21st-century, a favorite pastime for everyone from Heads of State right down to the rest of us. It has proved a valuable tool for so many aspects of our daily lives, especially our relationships. But although accessing social media tends to be a positive experience, we all need to pay close attention to the potential downside.
