Tapping into the virtual world has become one of the activities defining modern living. Journey through any city center and you’ll see the evidence everywhere, with people hunched over phones or tablets, hooked on their social media platforms, or flirting with potential partners via their favourite dating platform.
More and more relationships rely on online connectivity, due to its convenience and flexibility. But as with so many things in life, there is always a downside. There are many ways social media and online dating will damage your relationships.
The allure of the online world
One distinct problem with social media and dating websites is that they can become so addictive. Having so much choice it’s difficult to resist. The pool of options is so big that there are even special review services like asian-dating.ca that helps to navigate through dating sites better suited for users from the specific region.  Having access to so much entertainment, information, and downright fun, right in the palm of your hand, means it can be difficult relinquishing the hold of this tiny screen.
You’ve undoubtedly been in situations – say a restaurant or coffee bar – where two people who seem to be an item are seated side-by-side, engrossed in their mobile devices, scarcely uttering a word to each other. The same thing can often happen at home, when individuals take their gadgets into the bedroom, finding it difficult to tear themselves away from tweeting and liking Insta posts when there would be far more invigorating activities to indulge in!
Too much screen time is bad for your health
There are real issues with too much screentime that will not only damage your relationships, it has the clear potential to cause health problems. Workplaces should observe strict protocols when it comes to staff using screens for lengthy periods, with regular breaks recommended when the employee should distance themselves from their computers or laptops and focus on something else. There are related issues to muscle fatigue where you are hunched over digital equipment. An even greater toll is taken on mental health. Addiction to social media is becoming more prevalent, with some individuals having real issues when it comes to attempting to ration the time spent online. This aggravation is bound to cause tension within a relationship.
Site users are less than honest
One thing that is guaranteed to impact anyone’s self-esteem is for their sense of trust to come crashing down around them. The vast majority of users signed up to social media platforms or matchmaking websites do so because they wish to take full advantage of what’s on offer. But an unscrupulous few have no intention of connecting on an emotional level. Worse still, they might be operating under a different name – known as catfishing – because they want to find out personal details, such as the passwords to savings accounts. This creates a sense of mistrust, and if someone has been affected by a site user operating under fake details, it will make them so much more suspicious when it comes to establishing a genuine relationship.
Social media can offer temptations
The trouble with social media is that it can be a gateway into anyone’s past. There are all sorts of Facebook groups where site users can be reunited with school friends or people they were at Uni with. Former workmates are only a few clicks away. Unfortunately, so are ex-partners. Because it is so easy to get in touch with people on social media platforms, someone could find themselves informally touching base with an old flame, only for their online chats to become something far more vivid as long-suppressed feelings are ignited again. The potential for impacting their current relationship is considerable, particularly if their present partner feels this contact has been going on behind their back.
