Social media doesn’t just affect how much time we spend with our loved ones and our social interaction, but it also affects our  relationships. Without a doubt, social media is one of the biggest downfalls in relationships nowadays.

Social media does have some positive effects, for example people can meet people online and even start a relationship. We can make more friends on all apps. People can express themselves easier online than in person. People now can download dating apps to talk to others or to “hook up.”

But people portray themselves differently online than they are in real life.  We love the idea of a perfect life, to see someone living that perfect life. We see the couples on Instagram, the lovey dovey posts, the long paragraphs saying they are dating their best friend. But, what we don’t see is the fights, the disagreements, and the flaws of the relationship. We don’t see what’s behind the camera.

In an article about social media and romantic relationships, The Pew Research Center wrote that at least 27 percent of individuals think technology has either a negative or less-than-positive impact.

Back in the days, when our grandparents or parents started dating, they didn’t have social media. When their relationship got hard, they couldn’t open up a social media app to hundreds of people and have their sympathy. Or try to make themselves feel better by posting selfies to get a sense of appreciation.

Thinking that we can have a relationship like the couples in those posts, people leave relationships looking for that unrealistic relationship. People compare their relationship to that perfect Instagram couple, they compare it to a false standard.

Relationships are also affected by social media because it causes more jealousy. Since we have the ability to talk to so many people online, some people don’t  have the confidence in their significant others. Jenna Snyder, a writer on the website called The Odyssey Online wrote, “there seems to be an influx of what we get jealous of. Who she has on her Snapchat best friends, who is the girl that tweeted your boyfriend, who commented on her Instagram picture, and so on. This creates such a strain on relationships that they usually are more likely to fail. Without the use of social media, I believe that relationships would focus less on jealousy and more on caring for the other individual.”

A friend of mine had a problem with an ex-girlfriend of his because of social media. While they were dating, his girlfriend was extremely jealous. He would talk to his friends who were girls on Snapchat and his girlfriend did not like it. Her jealousy was so extreme that she wouldn’t let him talk to his girl friends in person, causing them to break up.

People should trust their significant other more.If they are with that person then they chose that person over any other person. They should also not trust what they see on social media since not everything is true.