social media and relationships

Running head: SATISFACTION IN RELATIONSHIPS AND THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA 1

An Examination of the Effects of Using Social Media While in Romantic Relationships

Hannah Morrow

Marcus Clark

Patrick Sobera

Taylar Wagner

Tommy Morgan

Radford University

SATISFACTION IN RELATIONSHIPS AND THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA 2

Introduction

With the current rise of social media we are seeing new patterns of how relationships

develop, continue and terminate. We feel that social media can affect the satisfaction of these

romantic relationships by how much information is revealed by each of the partners involved.

Current research unveiled information on both the positive and negative impacts social media

has on romantic relationships. An experiment was conducted to see if revealing too much

information on social media can have a negative effect on romantic relationships.

Relationship Development

Facebook, in current research, is found to be replacing the traditional method of

communication in the initial steps of relationships. Before social networking sites became

prevalent the typical pattern for a romantic relationship was meeting someone, get his or her

phone number, then setting up a date. Facebook and other social media sites are affecting the

way users initiate and escalate romantic pursuits as well as the way social networks perceive

these relationships. Current research explains how men and women perceive a “Facebook

official” relationship status. After a study conducted by Jesse Fox at Ohio State University, he

found that women place a higher priority on romantic relationships more so then men do. It goes

on to explain that women want to secure the commitment from the man as well as protect their

resources and minimize third party threats. They also want to advertise that the man is “taken”.

Going Facebook official than enables woman to broadcast their relationship to other through

social media as a way to secure their resources and ward off other women. Men are the opposite

of women when it comes to romantic relationship and would rather have multiple sexual partners

instead of one. This study is useful to our research because it will help us understand how


Facebook has changed the way people initiate and escalate a romantic relationship through social

media and how men a women perceive a Facebook Official relationship.

“The role of Facebook in romantic relationship development” article discusses the

implication that social media sites have on romantic relationships. It specifically focuses on

Knapp’s model of relationships by examining it through a new perspective where the social

networking site Facebook is taking into account. The article explores the effect Facebook has on

the escalation stage of romantic relationships including; initiating, experimenting, intensifying,

integrating, and bonding. One main aspect of Facebook focused on in the study was declaring

that “One is in a relationship” on Facebook (Fox, Warber, & Makstaller, 2013, p. 4). What

implications becoming Facebook officials can cause for those in relationships is looked at in

detail. Results of being Facebook official varied based on gender (Fox, Warber, & Makstaller,

2013, p. 6).

Fox, Warber, and Makstaller (2013) say “the nature of Facebook gives network members

unprecedented access to information about a romantic involvement, including declared

relationship status, photographs, and social commentary…” (p. 3). The authors maintained that

users of social media sites are creating new norms and express themselves in different ways,

which has an effect on how couples use social media in connection to their romantic relationship.

The authors conducted a study that included participants were 24 men and 31 women from a

small midwestern university, who had romantic relationship experience at the time since they

started using Facebook, and ranged from 18 to 23 years of age. They found that Facebook has

changed the way people enter relationships, seek information about the other individual, and

posting their relationship status as a social statement (Fox, Warber, & Makstaller, 2013, p. 8-13).


Facebook makes it easier to enter relationships, but much harder to not be influenced once in a

relationship.

Revealing Too Much

Research has found that the time spent on Facebook can be intrusive on people’s personal

lives by sharing too much personal information. Not only does this lead to jealousy but also the

fear of abandonment. Because of this researchers have found that this leads to relationship

dissatisfaction. Friends of a partner may come off as ambiguous or threatening leading to

paranoia of the state of the relationship (Elpjinston & Noller, 2011, p. 11). Researchers are

finding more often that Facebook is only disrupting people’s personal lives. Even being to open

about your relationship can have negative effects.

When does sharing personal information about your relationship become too much?

Talking via Facebook or Twitter can affect relationships compared to face-to-face interactions or

even talking on the phone. Although, sharing personal information about yourself might have a

positive impact, sharing information about your relationship with your significant other can be

traumatic. Current research shows that Facebook is a great way to meet people but some things

just aren’t kept personal. Public posts are most definitely related to the development of a new

relationship. On the other hand, it has been proven in multiple studies that “Facebook

satisfaction” was positively correlated with relationship satisfaction (Muise, Christofides, &

Desmarais, 2009, p. 442). It is a major concern for what is expected out of relationships

(Elpjinston & Noller, 2011, p. 11). It is important to maintain social media satisfaction in order

to maintain relationship satisfaction. It is stated that saying “I love you” can sometimes

positively and negatively affect the relationship in several ways. In one-way, saying “I love you”

publicly can be offensive and embarrass the other person. Some people like that to be said in a


private setting because it is a private feeling. Although, saying, “I love you” publicly can create

the feeling of happiness because they want everyone to know how in love they are. That person

may not believe that it is a private feeling to have. We can see that Facebook has an effect on

relationships that are already concrete, but what about the escalation stage of a romantic

relationship?

Social Media

Social media has become a large part of popular culture in today’s society and we are

seeing correlations between use of social media and relationships, more specifically romantic

relationships. The most popular forms of social media include Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

We are seeing that Facebook is the most used form of social media and seems to cause a strain

on romantic relationships. In a study done by Papp, L. M., Danielewicz, J., & Cayemberg, C

they explain their research” Confirming hypotheses from compatibility theories of mate

selection, partners demonstrated similar Facebook intensity (e.g., usage, connection to

Facebook” which basically is saying couples usually share the same intensity of Facebook use.

This causes lasting repercussions on the relationship by creating jealousy, paranoia and distrust.

Papp, L. M., Danielewicz, J., & Cayemberg, C explain how the more technology is developing

the more it facilitates or hinders relationships. The time spent on Facebook can be intrusive on

people’s personal lives by sharing too much personal information. Because of this researchers

have found that this leads to relationship dissatisfaction.

Jealousy in Relationships

Current research shows that Facebook can cause jealousy and negatively affect romantic

relationships. One study suggests that Facebook is responsible for creating jealousy and

suspicion in romantic relationships (Dainton, 2013, p.47). These studies suggest that exposing


ones social network activity to a public domain has negative implications for romantic and

sexual relationships. This is because Facebook causes jealousy in other people especially ones

with low self-esteem or trust levels. Facebook has changed the nature of public and private in the

sense that much more information is available to individuals about their partner’s relationships

and interactions than they would have with offline communication (Rau, Gao, & Ding, 2008, p.

6). People who spend more time on Facebook are the ones who are becoming more jealous and

this has a negative effect on their personal and romantic relationships. This study is useful to our

research because it shows how revealing information on social media has a negative effect on

romantic relationships because they cause jealousy.

Destruction of Relationships

Some research focuses on the negative impact of documenting everything we do online.

It describes certain social media sites as addicting because users have become accustomed to

sharing every activity they participate in through sites like Instagram and Twitter. Instead of just

going about their day, users take the time to post a picture on Instagram or compose a tweet that

corresponds with a certain activity (Steijn & Schouten, 2013, p. 582).

Focusing on the interpersonal aspect of relationships, it seems like social network users

are using these various sites for a reasonable purpose. Users participate in sites like Facebook

and Twitter to get an emotional feel for each other, but individuals also “lurk” through these sites

to gather information and to be updated with worldly topics (Laird, 2012). Overall, many use

social networks to form an intimate relationship and to share experiences through direct

communication. “Lurking” can be viewed in many ways but in some cases, performing this

action can result in individuals looking to fulfill their needs and to be satisfied.


Relationship Satisfaction

Although, sharing personal information about yourself might have a positive impact,

sharing information about your relationship with your significant other can be traumatic. This

article shows that Facebook is a great way to meet people but some things just aren’t kept

personal. Public posts are most definitely related to the development of a new relationship. On

the other hand, it has been proven in multiple studies that “Facebook satisfaction” was positively

correlated with relationship satisfaction. Facebook can also be correlated with relationship

dissatisfaction.

The time spent on Facebook can be intrusive on people’s personal lives by sharing too

much personal information. Not only does this lead to jealousy but also the fear of abandonment.

Because of this, researchers have found that this leads to relationship dissatisfaction. Friends of a

partner may come off as ambiguous or threatening leading to paranoia of the state of the

relationship. Researchers are finding more often that Facebook is only disrupting people’s

personal lives.

Hypotheses

H1: People in romantic relationships who reveal too much information on social media will not

be satisfied in their relationship.

H2: People in romantic relationships who do not post the details of their relationship on social

media will be satisfied in their relationship.

Using the hypotheses stated above and all relevant research, it is expected that when

information is revealed on social media, then satisfaction in romantic relationships will decrease.


Conversely, if information is not revealed on social media, then the satisfaction in romantic

relationships will increase.

Method

Participants

A survey research was conducted at a midsized university in Southwest Virginia. 47

participants were recruited to participate in this research. Participants were asked to complete the

surveys online on Qualtrics. They were contacted through electronic mail and social media. We

surveyed 47 participants. Of the participants surveyed 32 were female and 15 were male. 43

identified themselves as Caucasian, 1 was African American, 0 were Asian, 0 were Native

Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 0 were American Indian or Alaskan Native, and 3

identified as Other. The average age group of those surveyed was 18-22. The average class year

of those surveyed was Junior.

Procedure

The 17 question electronic survey was given to people who were randomly selected. The

participants were asked to complete the survey through social media posts and their participation

was completely voluntary. The survey was posted online on Qualtrics for a two week period to

allow as many participants as possible to take the survey.

Instruments

The survey consists of 47 questions. The survey was organized in such a manner in which

we believed would minimize confusion for participants to respond to questions regarding

personal relationships. In addition to the strategic order, an introduction was also included to

allow participants to know who we were and why we were conducting our research.


Use of social media. To assess the participants’ use of social media two questions were

asked. One of the questions asked the participants which social media platforms they used (e.g.,

“Facebook”) and gave the option to choose more than one media site. Another question

measured the amount of time participants spend on social media per week. The results ranged

from “less than 1 hour,” “1-3 hours,” “3-5 hours,” and “more than 5 hours.” The reliability of the

scale was .25.

The satisfaction in a relationship. To assess the satisfaction in a relationship; we used

the 5-point Likert scale to measure ten different aspects of the variable. Each Likert scale item

represented a particular characteristic about the correlations between romantic relationships and

the use of social media. The scales measured the satisfaction participant’s feel when their

significant other posts about their relationship on social media. Lastly, the scales measured

whether or not what is posted on social media affects the likelihood of the participant to stay in a

relationship. One of the questions stated, “Social media websites have an affect on my romantic

relationships.” The participants were then asked to respond with “Strongly Agree,” “Agree,”

“Neither Agree nor Disagree,” “Disagree,” or “Strongly Disagree.” The reliability of the scale

was .33.


Results

For the variable in question a correlation test was conducted. H1 stated, “People in romantic

relationships who reveal too much information on social media will not be satisfied in their

relationship.” H2 stated, “People in romantic relationships who do not post the details of their

relationship on social media will be satisfied in their relationship.” The hypotheses proposed in

the current research stated that the use of social media is negatively related with the satisfaction

in romantic relationships. A Pearson correlation was calculated by using SPSS and the result was

not significant with r (47) = .18, p = .01. The hypotheses were not supported.

The following tables show the frequencies for each of the variables about satisfaction.

Each table shows the frequency participants answered with “Strongly Agree,” “Agree, “Neither

“Agree or Disagree,” “Disagree,” and “Strongly Disagree.”


The following statements will be about your relationship status on social media. -Defining the

relationship on social media is appropriate. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent

Valid

Strongly Agree 10 21.3 21.3 21.3

Agree 17 36.2 36.2 57.4

Neither Agree nor Disagree 11 23.4 23.4 80.9

Disagree 7 14.9 14.9 95.7

Strongly Disagree 2 4.3 4.3 100.0

Total 47 100.0 100.0

The following statements will be about your relationship status on social media. -I would consider ending my current or future relationship based on what my significant other posted

on social media about our relationship. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent

Valid


Agree 14 29.8 29.8 38.3


Disagree 10 21.3 21.3 87.2


Total 47 100.0 100.0

The following statements will be about your relationship status on social media. -I think its appropriate if my romantic partner posts intimate pictures (ex. kissing/hugging) on social

media. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent

Valid


Agree 17 36.2 36.2 38.3


Disagree 8 17.0 17.0 85.1


Total 47 100.0 100.0


The following statements will be about your relationship status on social media. -It is

appropriate for my significant other to post every little detail about what we do that day. (Ex. "Sarah and I went hiking today and had a long gazing kiss at sunset")

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent

Valid



Disagree 15 31.9 31.9 53.2


Total 47 100.0 100.0

The following statements will be about your relationship status on social media. -I am satisfied with my current relationship.


Percent

Valid


Agree 9 19.1 19.1 70.2


Disagree 2 4.3 4.3 95.7


Total 47 100.0 100.0

The following statements will be about your relationship status on social media. -Social media

will not determine whether I continue my current relationship. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent

Valid

Agree 2 4.3 4.3 4.3


Disagree 19 40.4 40.4 63.8


Total 47 100.0 100.0


The following statements will be about your relationship status on social media. -What my

significant other posts on social media doesn't affect the satisfaction of my current relationship


Percent

Valid


Agree 11 23.4 23.4 25.5


Disagree 9 19.1 19.1 72.3


Total 47 100.0 100.0

The following statements will be about your relationship status on social media. -I see myself

continuing my current relationship. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative

Percent

Valid


Agree 8 17.0 17.0 66.0


Disagree 1 2.1 2.1 95.7


Total 47 100.0 100.0


Gender

Male

Female

31.9%

68.1%

Age

18-22

23-27

28+78.7%

12.8%

8.5%

The following graphs depict the demographic information for the participants surveyed.

This includes gender, age, class standing, and race of the participants.


** Totals for Asian and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander are not shown in the graph because there were no participants who identified as either of these ethnicities.

ClassStanding

Freshman

Sophomore

Junior

Senior

36.2%

29.8%

23.4%

2.1%

Race

AfricanAmerican

Caucasian

Other91.5%

6.4% 2.1%


Discussion

The results of the hypothesis were not entirely accurate in response to our current

research. All the results were supported, but the results were not able to clearly determine the

effect social media has on relationships. Overall, 50 participants took our survey; 3 of the

participant’s results did not show up when documenting the total results.

The results of our research were overshadowed by the fact that only 47 participants

responded to a survey, which was conducted on-line. Due to our small sample size, our results

lacked the strength in order to form a legitimate result. If more participants were willing to share

their input, the results of our current research could thoroughly support our hypothesis. We also

had a very biased participant group when it came to ethnicity. More diversity may have made our

scale more reliable.

H1 stated, “People in romantic relationships who reveal too much information on social

media will not be satisfied in their relationship.” When asked about revealing information about

conflict or intimacy on social media the majority of participants agreed that it is not appropriate

to post that information on social media (see charts above).

H2 stated, “People in romantic relationships who do not post the details of their

relationship on social media will be satisfied in their relationship.” This was supported by the

same data collected for H1.

H3 stated, “The more time spent on social media while in a romantic relationship will

decrease the satisfaction in the relationship.” We did not come up with a reliable way to measure

this hypothesis, which most likely contributed to the low reliability of our scale.

Our hypotheses highlight the effect social media has on relationships. Even though we

did not support all of our hypotheses was not confirmed, its clear social media has an effect on


relationships. With the lack of overall input needed to form a conclusion, our hypothesis could

not be supported. Adjustments need to be made on how we could further test our hypothesis and

its clear that a much larger sample size is needed to accurately test our hypothesis. Lastly,

rewording of each of our questions would enhance the reliability of our scale.

Conclusion

In conclusion, primary and secondary research done was in agreement over the

correlation between the use of social media and the satisfaction in romantic relationships.

Primary research found that the majority of people do not find it beneficial or appropriate for a

relationship when a partner reveals a lot of information about the relationship on social media.

Secondary research reinforced these findings and also found that the more people use social

media the less satisfied they are in their romantic relationships. Even though the scale was not as

reliable as desired, the information uncovered can be utilized and improved upon for future

research.


References

DAINTON, M. (2013). RELATIONSHIP MAINTENANCE ON FACEBOOK:

DEVELOPMENT OF A MEASURE, RELATIONSHIP TO GENERAL

MAINTENANCE, AND RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION. College Student Journal,

47(1), 113-121.

Elphinston, R. A., & Noller, P. (2011). Time to Face It! Facebook Intrusion and the Implications

for Romantic Jealousy and Relationship Satisfaction. Cyberpsychology, Behavior &

Social Networking, 14(11), 631-635. doi:10.1089/cyber.2010.0318

Fox, J., Warber, K. M., & Makstaller, D. C. (2013). The role of Facebook in romantic

relationship development: An exploration of Knapp’s relational stage model. Journal Of

Social & Personal Relationships, 30(6), 771-794. doi:10.1177/0265407512468370

Laird, S. (2012). Is Social Media Destroying Real World Relationships? Retrieved from

http://mashable.com/2012/06/14/social-media-real-world-infographic/

Muise, A., Christofides, E., & Desmarais, S. (2009). More Information than You Ever Wanted:

Does Facebook Bring Out the Green-Eyed Monster of Jealousy?. Cyberpsychology &

Behavior, 12(4), 441-444. doi:10.1089/cpb.2008.0263

Papp, L. M., Danielewicz, J., & Cayemberg, C. (2012). 'Are We Facebook Official?'

Implications of Dating Partners' Facebook Use and Profiles for Intimate Relationship

Satisfaction. Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 15(2), 85-90.

doi:10.1089/cyber.2011.0291

Rau, P. , Gao, Q., Ding, Y. (2008, September 17). Relationship between the level of intimacy

and lurking in online social network services. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(6), 275-

277. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563208000708


Steijn, W. P., & Schouten, A. P. (2013). Information Sharing and Relationships on Social

Networking Sites. Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 16(8), 582-587.

doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0392


Survey The following survey is being conducted to measure how much of an affect the use of social media has on romantic relationships. Please answer to the best of your ability.

1. Which of the following social media platforms do you currently use? (Circle all that apply)

a. Facebook b. Twitter c. Instagram d. Other

2. How many hours a week do you spend on a social media site? a. Less than 1 hour b. 1-3 hours c. 3-5 hours d. More than 5 hours

3. Are you currently in a romantic relationship? a. Yes b. No

The following statements will be about your relationship on social media.

1. Defining the relationship on social media is appropriate. a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree

2. I would consider ending my current or future relationship based on what my significant other posted on social media about our relationship.

a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree

3. Social media websites have an affect on my romantic relationships. a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree

4. I think it is appropriate if my romantic partner posts about a recent conflict on social media.

a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neither agree nor disagree


d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree

5. I think its appropriate if my romantic partner posts intimate pictures (ex. kissing/hugging) on social media.


6. It is appropriate for my significant other to post every little detail about what we do that day (Ex. “Sarah and I went hiking today and had a long gazing kiss at sunset.”)


7. I am satisfied with my current relationship. a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree

8. I see myself continuing with my current relationship. a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree

9. Social media will not determine whether I continue my current relationship. a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neither agree nor disagree d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree

10. What my significant other posts on social media doesn’t affect the satisfaction of my current relationship.


11. My gender is: a. Male b. Female

12. My age is: a. 18-22


b. 23-27 c. 28+

13. My race is or most closely to: a. American Indian and Alaska Native b. Asian c. African American d. Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander e. Caucasian f. Other

14. My class standing is: a. Freshman b. Sophomore c. Junior d. Senior

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