Being in a relationship can make you feel so elated that you’re compelled to yell about it from every rooftop.
But, here’s the thing: don’t do that.
While it’s admirable when you’re involved in a successful romantic relationship, that doesn’t mean that you need to share the juicy details on your social media account. Doing so can easily poison the relationship over time. The act itself can be toxic.
But, if you need some convincing in order to keep your updates in check, here are some excellent reasons to pump the breaks when it comes to divulging details of your relationship on social media:
5. You know who’s on social media now? Your damn relatives.
Using social media to send sexy acknowledgments to your significant other is a decidedly risky move for multiple reasons. While commenting on one of their posts with “Can’t wait for tonight ;)” might SEEM like a good idea (especially if you’ve been drinking), kindly remember that A.) everybody can see your ass acting a fool on social media, and B.) one of those people probably includes a family member or authority figure whose respect you value. And don’t even get me started on those suggestive “Breakfast in bed ;)” pics which feature your half-naked significant other curled up in your bedsheets.
I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this, but: save the NSFW sh*t for your anonymous Tumblr account, not your Facebook or Instagram. We’re all very happy about (read: unaffected by) the fact that you’re having regular sex, but we don’t need to know the details.
4. What happens on the internet stays on the internet … forever.
You know that feeling when you’re fighting with your S.O. and you say something mean that feels incredibly true in the heat of the moment, but you come to regret it later, so you apologize and ask for their forgiveness?
Well, spoiler alert: that’s much easier to accomplish in real life than it is on social media.
If you’re on the verge of a breakup and you choose to vent on Facebook, Twitter, etc., it’s pretty difficult to come back from that. Everyone saw you lose your cool (including your S.O., probably), which makes it that much more difficult to reconcile with your partner.
And while we’re on the subject: that doesn’t make it okay for you to post scathing updates after a breakup, either. Even if you don’t come to regret it later, it’s certainly not going to paint you in the most positive light for all of your friends — and it makes you look super immature.
3. Your ex can probably see whatever you’re posting about them.
On a similar note: never, ever, ever post something about your ex, even if it’s to express how much you miss them.
They are almost certainly going to see your thinly-veiled reference to them, and it’s only going to end up stirring sh*t and reopening old wounds. Calm down and hash it out with your friends — don’t use Facebook as your personal therapist.
2. Nobody cares if you’re excessively happy.
We get it: the two of you went apple-picking, and you’re perfect together, and your happiness is so profound that you were utterly compelled to share couple selfies on all of your social media accounts.
But, here’s the other thing: at a certain point, nobody gives a sh*t.
Sure, it’s nice to know when someone’s in a successful, long-term relationship, and nobody can fault you for occasionally taking photos of your significant other. But, there’s a fine line between sharing tasteful shots from your life and bombarding the timeline with desperate reminders of your relationship status.
Stop trying to convince everyone you’re in a happy relationship and just focus on being in one, dammit.
1. Privacy and intimacy are kind of necessary in healthy relationships.
The majority of a romantic relationship happens behind closed doors — and no, I’m not just talking about sex. The key to successful relationships is intimacy, and that’s something which can only be accomplished through a certain amount of privacy and trust. Posting every possible update about your significant other or your relationship is a surefire way to suffocate your connection and prevent any intimacy from forming.
By viewing your partner as a social media boon rather than an actual person, you’re betraying their trust and ultimately keeping your relationship at an extremely superficial level.