Social media interactions between romantic partners (e.g., liking, commenting on partner’s posts and pictures) may not benefit the couple, rather it can jeopardize their relationship. Empirical evidence suggests that couples who reported more Facebook maintenance behaviors experienced lower levels of love in their relationship (Northrup & Smith, 2016). That is, spending excessive time on social media may lead romantic partners to be in an interpersonal conflict (Clayton et al., 2013; Cravens et al., 2013) even if the communication is between the dyadic partners. Arguments starting at home privately may continue online publicly, thus escalating their interpersonal differences. Also, partners who have a habit of passing negative comments on their spouse’s general appearance, may also post a negative comment online that could embarrass their spouse.
References
Cravens, J. D., Leckie, K. R., & Whiting, J. B. (2013). Facebook infidelity: When poking becomes problematic. Contemporary Family Therapy, 35, 74–90. doi:10.1007/s10591-012-9231-5 Cravens, J. D., & Whiting, J. B. (2014). Clinical implications of Internet infidelity: Where Facebook fits in. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 42, 325–339. doi:10.1080/01926187.2013.874211 Northrup, J., & Smith, J. (2016). Effects of Facebook maintenance behaviors on partners’ experience of love. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 38, 245–253. doi:10.1007/s10591-016-9379-5
