Social media has the potential to destroy your relationships with people when your online life overshadows your real life. It may ruin relationships with your partner, family, friends, or with whom you are close. Like other addictions, social media addiction is not healthy as well.

Websites or applications that allow you to communicate with individuals or groups worldwide are social media applications. Social media allows you to create and share content with other people. The social media applications like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., are amongst the most famous ones. They have affected our lives very much. 

Most of the population right now uses social media. Different people have different purposes. Some use social media for interacting with others; few use it for marketing; others use it for entertainment, etc. 

“Social media is a double-edged sword,” says communication expert Leslie Shore. But, on the other hand, it changes the way people interact with others and views this world. Also, it is practical and helpful to communicate and interact with other people.

12 Ways How Social Media Destroys Relationships

Here I have enlisted 12 different ways how social media can destroy your relationships:

Less Interaction 

In this digital world, the Internet has brought us close to everything. We can connect with other people who are far away. But, this has shaken our in-person interaction. 

When we are with our close ones, instead of interacting with each other, we chat with other people who are miles away. Such actions push loved ones from us and create barriers.

So, we need to make sure that interaction with them is significant when we are with our loved ones. The interaction will help us to connect with our loved ones and keep the love alive.

Comparing with Others

According to a Kaspersky Lab Study, 42 percent of people admit to feeling jealous about their friends and families’ posts online. People compare their relationships with others and feel bad about it. Different relationships have different ways of communicating with each other, expressing emotions to one another. 

You need to know that social media posts do not say the whole story. If you see your friend and their partner enjoying themselves, you may feel bad about it. Even if they post photos online on vacation, they may feel unhappy inside.

So, stop comparing your relationships to others. Be happy with what you have and think about making the relationship better. It is essential to spend quality time with your loved ones.

Cheating on your Partner

Interacting with other people is a good thing, but many people cheat on their partners. People use social media to communicate with other people, even if they are in a relationship.

According to CompareCamp Study, in the United States, 20% of married couples cheat on each other. Meanwhile, 70% of unmarried couples cheat on each other in the course of their relationship. 

70% is a very high number, and social media plays a vital role in this one. People connect with others online and share things, which may lead to cheating with their partners.

According to Psychology Today, cheating is caused by many factors. The factors include personal reasons, personality, and personal beliefs.

So, you need to be aware of the consequences that cheating may bring to your and your partner’s life. 

Read More: How to catch a cheating spouse.

Less Interested in Each Other

Before, couples would enjoy cuddling, hugging each other, and holding hands. But now, they reach out into their cellphones to surf social media. Cell phone addiction is one of the reasons couples get less interested in each other. 

They might also get interested in other people with whom they are chatting or connecting through social media. 

In the long run, they don’t like each other’s company. Less interaction might destroy their relationship. So, it’s essential to interact with your partner rather than using a cellphone all the time.

Expectations from the Partner

Many couples show off their lovey-dovey couple photos. They post vacations together, gifting each other expensive things. Seeing these posts, people expect the same from their partners too.

Everyone cannot fulfill their partner’s expectations. Then, these expectations may lead to conflict between couples. We need to understand that personal interaction with our partners is more important than our social media posts. We need to be happy in real life rather than on social media. 

Inviting Past into Your Present

Even if people are happy with their current partner, a single text from their ex or a colleague from the past makes them think twice, which raises unwanted feelings and emotions from the past. This situation might make some people less interested in their current partner.

So, it is good to leave the past behind. If you are happy with your partner, you should ignore the texts and calls of your past colleagues. If someone you liked in the past is not around right now, there is a reason for it.

Inviting Insecurities and Mistrust

Your relationship with your partner should not center around social media. You should not check your partner’s messages and call history. This action brings insecurities and mistrust into your relationship. It might look like a minor deal at first, but in the long run, this gets piled up and may destroy your relationship.

So, you do need to be aware of who your partner is connecting with. But you should not check their cell phone; look at their messages. This action brings a trust issue which is not healthy for any relationship.

Jealousy 

Social media makes people jealous in many ways. Some people post their vacation photos, expensive stuff, their lovey-dovey pictures with their partner on social media. These posts might make other people jealous, make other people want the same things in life. They want their partner to give everything that they see on social media.

But, everyone cannot afford those. A small misunderstanding might bring conflicts with their partner. So, we should not be jealous of others and live our lives. 

Oversharing and Unwanted Opinions

We can share anything we want on social media. There are no limitations. So, people tend to share everything on social media. We know that sharing can bring attention. But, people start to judge you if you are oversharing. 

Oversharing can bring unwanted opinions. These unwanted opinions can be from your friends and family. People start to avoid you, and this might destroy the relationship. 

So, you should not post everything. You can post things that can be a memory or things that might be helpful to others. 

Excessive Public Displays of Affection

People who spend a lot of time on social media often want their partner to share about their relationship. They want the attention of others and make others think they are happy to have each other.

But, these displays of love and affection on social media don’t mean that the couple is happy in reality. So, people should understand that interaction with their partner in real life is more important than posting about the relationship on social media.

Addiction to Social Media Apps

One of the effects of social media is its addiction. People start to ignore the people around them. They stick to their cell phone and interact with other people rather than talking to their partners.

Many couples complain that their partner doesn’t give them enough time, as they are busy on social platforms. It increases the space between the couples, and in the long run, this leads to separation. Hence addiction to social media can destroy your relationships.

So, you should always give time to your loved ones and interact with them.

Posting Every Emotion

People post about everything on social media nowadays. They post if they are happy and even if they are sad. They share every emotion with other people. 

If they post about their complicated relationship online, their partner will not be okay with it. And this may lead to unwanted fights. So, instead of posting these emotions online, talk to your partner and try to sort things out.

Conclusion

There are pros and cons to everything, and social media is no exception. Social media gives us the ability to communicate with others and build relationships. But, social media can also destroy existing relationships.

So, you should be aware of how you use social media. You should know about the consequences that social media can bring into our lives. It is essential to give time to your loved ones and to interact with them. This interaction brings you close to your loved ones and keeps the love alive.   

Read More: What are the signs of unhealthy friendships in social media?