How Social Networking Can Sabotage Your Relationship

With social networking sites like Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter becoming an everyday part of our lives, there are certain aspects of social networking that we need to keep in mind. Small changes or posts on these sites can sometimes do serious damage to your relationships. The experts at Adam and Eve have compiled this list of internet faux pas that should be avoided.

Changing your relationship status on Facebook before clearing it with your partner can spell disaster, especially if your new beau doesn’t quite have in mind what you have listed. This goes for both checking off that “In a Relationship” box when you’ve started dating someone new, as well as the “Single” button when things are on the rocks with your current partner. One can seriously scare off any potential boyfriends, while the other can be viewed as a manipulative tool when used to ‘make a point’ during an argument.

Save the very-personal photos for private viewing. Chances are, no one other than you and your other half really want to see pics of the two of you making out at a club or having a full on PDA at the park. These moments may be small mementos of your time together, but keep them for your eyes only – especially if you haven’t asked him if they are alright to post. He would probably prefer that you kept them private as well. This also goes hand-in-hand with updating every single stage of your relationship. The first kiss is cute to tell friends about. Anything other than that is bordering on the TMI zone.

Drunk texting and posting is never a good idea. Ever have those morning-afters where you flick through your phone and can’t believe what you have posted? Checked out your status posts from the night before and discovered they are full of misspelled posts about how completely smashed you are? They don’t exactly leave the best impression – especially if you are texting co-workers or friends with elderly relatives on Facebook. If you’re prone to this type of activity, you can set up your iPhone or Gmail to give you the internet equivalent of a field sobriety test before allowing you to post during hours which you have set up in advance.

Save meeting the family for real life, not the internet. While this may be a bit more temping if your other half’s family lives thousands of miles away and meeting them won’t come for several more months, you should avoid adding the family member your lists until after that first meeting. Becoming friends with someone before you meet them can give them access to information you wouldn’t want someone who you just ‘met’ knowing, as well as the reverse. Once you have friended them in real life, then consider adding them to your social networking. For sites like Facebook, you can also set up specific groups to add family members too. That way, you can control their viewing of your college Halloween party costumes and that great bachelorette party you went to last summer.

While social networking and other internet communication methods can do some damage to a relationship if used incorrectly, they can also be a tool to use to help your relationship. When one of our writers started a long distance relationship ten years ago, she spent hundreds of dollars on international telephone calls. If that relationship happened today, Skype would have saved enough money for her to fly and meet up with her love on a much more regular basis. Social networking is a two sided coin – use it wisely!

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