Hi Steemers, they remember when they entered their favorite social network, they came across a publication that they liked, they said they liked it and it did not mean anything? Or when, did the person with whom they wanted share anything and neither did it mean anything? Well, those happy times when digital interaction was just that, digital interaction, they do not exist anymore. Today, a "Like" can represent a "I like you".
Until recently it was impossible to judge the interest of a person through their digital behavior, since this could be far from their real intentions. However, we live in a time when social networks are so intertwined with the real life of a person that even the smallest gesture can have serious interpretations about the relationship between two people. An example - that when I think about it I feel like going back to high school - is the use and selection of the emojis that we send, like the transition from the little face that throws a kiss with closed eyes, to the one that winks and the kiss has heart shape. Yes, what a bear, but it's real. People are taking this kind of messages very seriously, to the extent that, for them, several couples have had fights that have led to the break. There is even a term to describe this phenomenon.
Source: iStock
It is known as microinfidelity to the behavior that oscillates between friendly interaction and infidelity. In the old movies the wives discovered their adulterous husbands when they returned late, drunk and with a red lip seal on the collars of their shirts. Currently, just read their WhatsApp, enter their Facebook or see who likes their Instagram photos. According to Dr. Martin Graff, professor of psychology at the University of South Wales and a member of the British Psychological Society, showing a high level of digital interest towards someone outside of an existing relationship can constitute microinfidelity.
Dr. Graff told the British newspaper The Telegraph that "several aspects of human relationships have moved to the online world," so couples are forced to define what is right and what is not in cyberspace. Some examples of microinfidelity are things we all do every day, such as:
- Put a heart on Facebook
- Frequently review someone's Instagram
- Send messages to another person without the knowledge of the couple
- Add ex-partners to different platforms
- Label people in publications
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The specialist explained that there are, "studies that clearly prove that the increase in the use of social networks has been accompanied by an increase in real-life fights, as well as a negative impact for couples due to the actions they take in the different platforms. "
And if we think about it, all this makes a lot of sense. Thousands of relationships are born every day on the internet, from apps and sites that serve to meet people, until discovering that one shares interests with another person so they both decided to publish. In the same way, our online behavior can be more harmful and hurtful than what we show to the real world. It all comes down to what we consider infidelity, and definitely any form of deception within a formal commitment, whether physical or digital, can lead to the breakdown of it. The key is to define what is acceptable and not with the couple and not assume that what happens on the internet, stays on the internet.
Source: iStock