You’re Posting Your Relationship On Social Media Too Much
Six months into my last relationship, I decided to post my then-boyfriend on social media. Not long after I uploaded the “pop-out” pictures, I received an onslaught of messages questioning the nature of our relationship.
Girls I vaguely knew sent messages that threw some slight shade at myself and my relationship. “Y’all cute or whatever,” read one message.
Were these girls just hating, or did they know something I didn’t?
Of course, when I chose to post those pictures, I signed up for every bit of speculation from random people. It's part of the deal when you put your life out there on social media, including your relationships.
We're all living in a world where our lives are intertwined with social media, so it's natural to want to post about our relationships online, but Gen-Z takes it to another level. It’s no longer a question of if but when – hard launch or soft launch? Instagram or Twitter?
People love to say that if your partner isn’t posting you, they must be cheating, or if they're not posting you, they don't respect you. It sounds a bit crazy when you think about it. Are we really measuring the health of our relationships based on what gets shared online? Maybe it’s time to look up from our phones and reconsider what we truly value.
Take a moment to think about your social media following. How many of them are in your inner circle, and how many are just onlookers in your daily life? Most of your followers are probably people you barely know or care about – high school acquaintances, old friends, or people from your hometown. It might be normal to want to show them you're doing well, like posting your new relationship to let your ex, who you still follow, know you've moved on.
But, whether you’re the one posting or hoping to get posted, it’s important to understand why.
The constant urge to showcase a relationship on social media might reveal some insecurities within. Let’s be real, people post their relationships all the time, yet cheating and other issues persist. Those seemingly perfect pictures are just a way to project an image and avoid the deeper problems in the relationship.
It's not uncommon for people to use social media as a façade, especially when they’re in a relationship.
That couple that’s always on your feed posting affectionate pictures and captions might be grappling with issues like lack of trust or communication. Sometimes, constantly posting your relationship, or always wanting to be posted becomes a smokescreen that masks the real struggles within the relationship.
So, the next time the urge hits to broadcast your relationship online, take a moment. Ask yourself, "Am I doing this to celebrate something real, or am I just putting up a front to sidestep the actual issues?" Because, let's be honest, a picture on your feed won't repair what's broken inside.
And before you start feeling some type of way about not being all over your partner’s social media, take a minute to focus on what really matters – the solid foundation within your relationship. True validation doesn't come from the number of posts but from building mutual trust, open communication, and sharing a common purpose. Social media can be the cherry on top (an occasional date night post or soft launch posts for privacy), but it should never replace the security that comes from within your relationship. It's what you both share privately that truly counts.
In the end, social media isn’t real, but your relationship is.
