The Impact of Social Media on Intimate Relationships among Chinese College Students

Abstract

With the high degree of openness of the Internet, the number of young people exposed to social networking sites is increasing. Previous research has shown that there are many ways to influence people's perceptions of intimate relationships, and social media has played a role in recent years. Yet, the exact aspects influencing people's perceptions of relationships still need to be discovered. The current study focused on how social media affected Chinese college students' perceptions of romantic relationships through questionnaires and offered suggestions for improving young people's well-being in relationships. The findings highlighted that social media is associated with relationship dissatisfaction. It influenced college students' perceptions of these aspects of relationships: love permanence and commitment, confidence to enter a relationship, gender dyad, and financial and emotional independence. Such results suggested that social media may have a detrimental effect on young people's impressions of relationships but not on their desire to establish close connections. Besides, this study revealed that these effects are correlated with the individual's media usage, personality, and self-esteem. This study has implications for changing young people's views on relationships and enhancing their sense of well-being in a relationship.