Using Social Media to Strengthen Your Relationship: 5 Tips

Social media often gets a bad rap when it comes to relationships. From public relationship status updates on Facebook to the old adage of “keeping your business to yourself,” perceptions about social media and relationships are often negative. However, research shows that social media can actually help relationships more than it hurts them – by approximately 13%. Pew Research recently reported that social media has an impact on 66% of relationships, with the impact typically being positive. In fact, long-term relationships reportedly benefit even more. While some couples report social media causing tension in their relationships, here are some tips for strengthening your relationship through social media.

1. Share Your Passwords

Sharing social media account passwords may feel like an invasion of privacy, but in relationships, secrecy can be dangerous. Even if your partner never actually accesses your social media accounts, your willingness to share your password shows them that you trust them. In the Pew study, 67% of married or long-term committed couples shared their passwords and reported a positive impact on their relationships.

2. Create Couple Accounts

Creating joint social media accounts can help present you and your partner as one unit. This doesn’t just relate to public events – having joint social media accounts means you and your partner share the same friend circle and get invited to the same functions. In other words, joint accounts can bring you closer together.

3. Love Like a Young Person

Research suggests that young adult relationships have a higher success rate than that of older couples, thanks in part to social media. Specifically, 59% of teens say that social media enhances their relationships and makes them feel closer to their significant other. Additionally, 47% of teens feel more cared for when their partner shares news about their relationship on social media. These statistics vary between genders; experts report that men get more relationship satisfaction from social media than women, especially if they are young.

4. Love Like a Man

It’s often said that men fall in love deeper and faster than women, and statistics support this notion. 65% of teenage boys use social media to gain gratification about the stability of their relationship and to feel more loved, compared to only 37% of teenage girls. These statistics don’t change much among adults. By sharing passwords, creating joint accounts, and being intentional about what you share on social media, you can ensure that social media adds satisfaction to your love life.

5. Love Honestly

While it’s true that people can falsely portray themselves on social media, research suggests that technology also makes people more inclined to tell the truth, revealing their genuine selves. For some couples, this can mean that their partner’s infidelity is uncovered, but for most couples, it can provide a platform to communicate deep emotions that are hard to say in person. Honesty and communication are key components of a healthy relationship, so use social media as a tool to foster those qualities in your relationship.

Social media can be a useful tool for strengthening your relationship. By being deliberate about your social media usage, you can use social media to promote trust, build connections with your partner, and create a space for honest communication. So the next time you feel like posting about your significant other on social media, go ahead and let the world know about your love. Your relationship might just benefit from it.