Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Social Media Presents a Risk – Even to Secure, Functioning Relationships
Social media makes it so easy to connect with others – and so easy to hide and cover things up.
This is one of the reasons social media can be dangerous for even those in secure relationships.
There’s a type of allure in social media.
It allows us to connect in ways that we might not if we were talking to someone in-person. We might feel bolder in the things we say or might be more open to certain suggestions. And part of this is because it’s almost like we’re someone else.
When you create your social media profile, when you choose what to post and how to interact with others, you’re creating this persona, which may or may not be exactly like the way you really are.
People often actually go into a sort of trance when on social media. It’s another level of consciousness. In fact, people have been known to regress when using social media – one reason people reconnect with old flames, particularly people they dated when they were very young, via social media.
The limited access we have to these social media friends, the banter and the flirting, and the chats or video chats, the likes and comments, can all make us feel as if though actually pursuing a relationship with this person would be a fairy tale – something new, something different, and something better than our current relationship.
With social media, we’re taken out of the moment and we sometimes forget the very real and important things we have in our actual lives.
How Can You Avoid the Temptations of Social Media?
So, how can couples avoid the temptations and pitfalls of social media?
You can start by being very careful and intentional about how you use social media – especially when it comes to how you talk to your followers about your partner and your relationship.
