In todays society the use of social media has reached an all-time high. Social media is used in almost every aspect of our lives including, career, healthcare, education and socialization. It is avenue for meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones. It is a powerful tool for positive change. However, a rapidly escalating number of couples are seeking counseling after discovering that their partner has been involved in a online relationship that has led to infidelity.
Here are 5 facts regarding online relationships and infidelity:
1. Communication via social media (Facebook, Chatroom, Twitter, Tumblr, Snapchat,Instagram,Vine)sets up a ongoing relationship between two or more people. Although you can have many friends on each one they are all unique to the individual. People develop followers based on thatindividuality. Once selected, the combination of these mediums give us a in-depth window into another persons life. Relationships are forged in a rudimentary way even before we are aware of it.
2. Communication between two people is less inhibited without physicality. This means that what we will say in writing or even through pictures is much different than what we would say or do face-to-face. It is also more common to develop emotion language when you are not actuallymeeting with a person. This leads to emotional attachment.
3. Infidelity is defined as being unfaithful or disloyal. For a long time people looked at this definition as primarily a relationship breach involving sex. The truth is that infidelity is any intimate relationship that involves being disloyal to your partner. Emotional ties are developed by ongoing communication between two people. Relationships that start out as casual conversation can develop rapidly when people are in stressed situations. Marital arguments, sadness and loneliness send many to their phones or computers just seeking for someone to talk too. Relationships forged during these times are often used as a unhealthy coping skill or anavoidance measure. This means instead of solving our problem we cope by getting support, recognition and approval from an outsider.
4. Because social media opens the door for so many modes of communication, couples must bevigilant regarding it’s use. Clear boundaries and transparency of use are critical factors in maintaining strong healthy relationships. Couples need to remember that because of the lack inhibition generated by online relationships, they can move very rapidly to physical/sexual. Theyalso allow for deep emotional ties to be formed abnormally fast.
5. As stated above, couples need to collaborate to develop an understanding of what level of social media use is acceptable for them. Personal values play a key role in creating a plan.