Social media can make break-ups worse, study states
| Feb 19, 2020, 15:15 IST
Social media platforms might be gaining popularity by the minute for their helpfulness in terms of staying connected with people, but this exact feature of theirs can prove to be a nightmare for some others. Wondering what we're talking about? Well, a new study suggests that social media can make break-ups a lot worse for you.
Before social media platforms existed, all one had to do was call it quits with their relationship and they would never see each other again. Now, you have a constant update right on your phone, showing you what the person is doing, where they are, whom they're with and whatnot. You could argue that one could just unfriend a person and then block them but apparently, this too isn't enough to prevent an unwanted online encounter with them.
For the study, the researchers recruited people who had an online encounter with their ex, 18 months after their breakup. These people were interviewed for over an hour. “Even before social media break-ups sucked, but it was much easier to get away from the person. It can make moving on almost impossible if you are constantly being bombarded with reminders in different places online,” said study lead researcher Anthony Pinter.
A lot of people explained that they faced problems with social media platforms wherein it showed them friend suggestions of their ex's family or friends. Or these portals would end up showing them pictures of their ex if a mutual friend had put it up. These things were clearly distressing. Researchers suggest that one must keep in mind that despite taking all precautionary measures, you can never be sure about not seeing your ex on social media platforms. Stay tuned for more updates.
Before social media platforms existed, all one had to do was call it quits with their relationship and they would never see each other again. Now, you have a constant update right on your phone, showing you what the person is doing, where they are, whom they're with and whatnot. You could argue that one could just unfriend a person and then block them but apparently, this too isn't enough to prevent an unwanted online encounter with them.
For the study, the researchers recruited people who had an online encounter with their ex, 18 months after their breakup. These people were interviewed for over an hour. “Even before social media break-ups sucked, but it was much easier to get away from the person. It can make moving on almost impossible if you are constantly being bombarded with reminders in different places online,” said study lead researcher Anthony Pinter.
A lot of people explained that they faced problems with social media platforms wherein it showed them friend suggestions of their ex's family or friends. Or these portals would end up showing them pictures of their ex if a mutual friend had put it up. These things were clearly distressing. Researchers suggest that one must keep in mind that despite taking all precautionary measures, you can never be sure about not seeing your ex on social media platforms. Stay tuned for more updates.