How Social Media Has Shaped Current Relationships

Social media has been an excellent tool for connection, communication, and accessibility. It has never been easier to maintain contact with distant friends, people in remote areas, and family members abroad. However, its convenience has also created an unrealistic idea of people’s lives, since it only presents the most curated versions of themselves.

In the old days, if you wanted to connect with a friend, you had to go out to play, meet at school during break times, or participate in extracurricular activities. The same was true for romantic partners you would usually meet them in the neighborhood, at school, and/or through a friend of yours. And if you wanted to know about someone’s life updates you had to maintain direct contact with them by writing a letter, calling their house phone, or visiting them in person.

So, social media has made it so easy that sometimes it becomes effortless. One click, one like, one view … and then repeat. The issue started when, by having so much access to the “curated” versions of people’s lives, individuals began developing a sense of comparison that, most of the time, leads to feelings of being behind. Research has found that social comparison and envy on social media can be associated with lower well-being, although the effects vary across individuals and circumstances (Meier & Johnson, 2022).

But is it fair to measure your life stage against everyone else’s? Is it healthy to measure your worthiness based on the number of likes and views? The challenge is: How can we utilize social media as a tool to connect us to others without disconnecting from ourselves? Yes, the version of ourselves that wakes up tired, that has real-life problems, stressors, and concerns.

I believe that we are one of the most disconnected generations of all times. One click, another like, one more view, and repeat. No more intentionality, human exchange, or vulnerability. Maybe we are all craving more connection. A laugh, a joke, a call, a cry, a moment. Therefore, turn off your screen and turn on your minds, bodies, and souls to share moments, to be mindful, and to be present in each other’s lives. Go for that coffee, book that trip, kiss that person, dance together, go to that hospital, make that call, jump in the rain, sleep over. Life is too short to follow people only from behind a screen.

REFERENCES

Meier, A., & Johnson, B. K. (2022). Social comparison and envy on social media: A critical review. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 101302.

Valkenburg, P. M. (2022). Social media use and well-being: What we know and what we need to know. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 101294.