Is Social Media Ruining Long Distance Relationships? Here's Why That May Be True

Let¡¯s face it: long-distance relationships can be tough.

If you¡¯ve been in one or are in one, you know it all too well. It's not long before the healthiest of long-distance relationships start to feel the weight of the time difference, busy schedules, and the many miles that separate the couple.

Unsplash

In my opinion, it takes a very brave and mature person to attempt a long-distance relationship in the first place. Even in the age of FaceTime, Snapchat and WhatsApp.

Why do most couples in a long-distance relationship believe that, thanks to technology, maintaining their long-distance relationship is easier than ever? And even if they do believe it, why do long-distance relationships still not survive?

Especially now when there's a plethora of apps designed to keep people connected.

Could social media be the reason long-distance relationships fail? Let¡¯s explore this possibility further.

Consider this: before such devices were available, a person was limited in their ability to contact their partner during working hours, and was often unable to communicate while commuting, in a meeting, or in an area without a landline or computer.

Now, smartphones have fostered the expectation that one's partner will be constantly accessible no matter what their schedule for the day. If you fail to text your partner or can¡¯t talk on the phone, there are bound to be arguments that can form the groundwork for detachment.

Pexels

Commonly observed among many partners in long-distance relationships is a strong need to display their relationship online for others to see.

Facebook, for instance, gives users the option to flaunt their 'relationship status' (married/ single/ dating/ it's complicated) thus creating a boundary wall, of sorts, for their online friends to admire from a distance. Studies suggest that when partners change their relationship status on Facebook to reflect their real-world relationships, they feel their relationship is then ''official.'

Some partners really insist on this public declaration simply because they want anyone new (friends, colleagues) entering their partner¡¯s life to know that they are unavailable and in a 'happy' relationship.

If infidelity has been a factor in your relationship, a partner may be constantly triggered by the available technology. Given that social media is virtually anywhere and everywhere, setting boundaries can can be a difficult process - one that exists without a blueprint.

Matters only get worse when someone who's been cheated on by their partner can 'view the evidence' online if they so choose to. A partner can be prompted by negative feelings from the ringing of a phone at an odd hour or seeing their partner online on Whatsapp when they're not replying to them. These technological intrusions can trigger a traumatic response where the betrayed individual feels unsafe, and is constantly worried about whether the partner is still involved in the affair.

Pexels

The truth is a good amount of tech-related conflicts happen in relationships: 42 per cent report being distracted by their phones, 18 per cent argue about the amount of time spent online, and 8 per cent have conflicts due to what a partner does online.

When geographical distance is a concern, one can only imagine the nasty course these conflicts can take because anything explained on a messaging platform runs the risk of being misunderstood 95% of the time.

Unsplash

Ultimately, love is what you make of it. Whether you're five minutes apart or five states apart, love requires commitment, effort and hard work. You can't have the relationship you want by simply assuming 'if it's meant to be, it'll work,' or relying entirely on social media and its variety of offerings to make being in a long-distance relationship easier.

No. You have to work at it. You have to face the hard times with the same effort you enjoy the good ones. Love is nothing more than the sum total of all your decisions and actions, both as individuals and as a couple. Start with saving up money to visit your partner instead of snooping on their online activity, it will do you and your long distance relationship wonders.