Social Media, Networking Linked to Marital Unhappiness, Divorce

Social media and networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are increasing the risk of divorce among married couples. According to one study that was conducted by Boston University, social media use not just increases divorce risks, but also decreases the quality of the marriage.

The researchers do not say that social media is solely to blame for troubled marriages, but suggest that there is an association between increased social media use by couples, and unhappy marriages. Part of the reason for this is that couples now find themselves competing for attention from their spouses, not with another person, but with their smart phone.

It could also be that many social media sites like Facebook as well as instant messaging apps that run on smart phones, allow people to cheat on their partners without the fear of being caught. One study in Italy recently found that as many as 40% of Italian divorces that were based adultery, blamed relationships that were conducted on the instant messaging service Whatsapp for the divorce.

There's no denying that the explosion of social media, smartphone technology, and increased connectivity that people now have at their fingertips allows people to conduct affairs with greater secrecy than they could before. Social media also seems to be where people who are already in troubled unhappy marriages, go to find themselves. That message in your inbox from an ex-boyfriend could seem exciting, when your own marriage is in the doldrums. From there to having an affair is not such a major leap forward, and Facebook and other related media make it easy for people to conduct relationships like this.