Facebook is often cited in divorce papers for its role in creating or perpetuating conflict within a marriage, and a new study out of the U.K. affirms much of this. According to Digital Trends, the study, conducted by U.K. law firm Slater and Gordon, reveals that one in seven people (out of 2,000 respondents) said they would consider divorce based solely on their partner’s social media habits.
Twenty five percent of respondents said that they fought weekly over their spouse’s social media activities, while 17 percent said it was a DAILY thing. Another 58 percent said they knew their spouse’s social media passwords, even in cases where the spouse had no idea. This encouraged spying, which can lead to obsessive behaviors as well as other unhealthy marriage behaviors. But the two that stood out the most from this study can be absolute marriage killers.
First, social media is creating a nation of bores.
According to the study, DT notes, “social media encourages meaningless updates that offend people with boring, uninteresting things to say.” In other words, the ability to post every day, even when there is nothing worth posting about, can create a cycle of addictive behaviors and dull one’s ability to communicate face-to-face.
Secondly, social media promotes jealousy.
DT explains that too much time and inappropriate activity on a social media platform “promotes jealousy by basically letting people show off to everyone each time something significant happens in their lives.” It can also make it easy to create connections with old boyfriends and girlfriends — something that can foster jealousy in one’s spouse.
While nothing is bad on its face, social media has, since its inception, been problematic to the ideal of the happily married couple. By reducing one’s time, limiting platform use, and not posting or friending anything/anyone that can create troubles between you and your spouse, you can avoid the headaches. Unfortunately, many people don’t think they have a problem until it’s too late.
Has your spouse’s social media use been an issue in your marriage? Share your experiences in the comments section below.