iStock/Thinkstock(COLUMBIA, Mo.) — Social media is intended to bring people in the virtual world closer together but for some reason, it’s creating havoc with real life relationships.
University of Missouri doctoral researcher Russell Clayton studied what effects Twitter has on marriages and other relationships and argues that “active Twitter use leads to greater amounts of Twitter-related conflict among romantic partners, which in turn leads to infidelity, breakup, and divorce.”
It’s probably not what Twitter’s creators had in mind when they started the service eight years ago.
Clayton polled 581 Twitter users to ask about their habits on the site and what conflicts arose from using it. Generally, the heavier the use, the greater the likelihood of problems with a significant other.
This is pretty much the same finding Clayton reached when he published a study on Facebook last year, saying, “Twitter and Facebook use can have damaging effects on romantic relationships. That is, when [social networking] use becomes problematic in one’s romantic relationship, risk of negative relationship outcomes may follow.”
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