I don't think Facebook in particular caused a problem in my marriage but technology in general certainly did. My husband left naked pictures from his "pen pal" open on his Ipad. He would sit in our living room and text other women. He had a subscription to an online porn site. Technology may be a good thing overall but it makes cheating a lot easier.

I think the whole social media age has negatively impacted relationships, in general..but I agree that temptation is now just a click away.Also, it affects our life dissatisfaction level..everyone's life is perfect and no one posts Crappy pics of themselves on these sites and anyone who's been in any real relationship can say it gets hard and you don't always see your partner at their best...that's real life. social media is like cotton candy..light, fluffy..no real substance..

I think they it gets tricky dating with social media around too. With my last boyfriend..FB would show me friends you might know based on friends in common..well I noticed that every time I would have a friend in common with him would be half naked models or strippers...I started noticing a pattern then..and suspicions were aroused.
Plus..if I would post something and other men would comment...jealousy!
It can cause a lot of stalking issues too.

Ok social media sucks for relationships lol

Thanks for the article..interesting read

Like you, I use Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends. However when my ex would have a FB account it always caused problems because he wanted to "chat" with his old girlfriends. Ok, maybe every few months to see how they are doing but not every day. I too was able to get into his FB account (he gave me password one night when he was drunk). I would see all the messages and get really mad and hurt. He finally deleted his account, if he had another account I was not aware of it. Sometimes the not knowing is better than knowing!!!!

Ignorance is bliss, Facebook and other social media sites will drive you crazy. I deactivated and then deleted my Facebook account, reading about everyone's perfect lives was just depressing and the temptation at first to check my ex's status was also a factor to get rid of it. Better to focus on yourself right now and if I need to tell someone something important I call text or email, not post for the world to see.

I rarely do FB anymore, my stbx was on that a lot, so it kind of turned me off from FB. Like coop, it is too depressing seeing everyones happy life. Even tho I did unfriend him it is still a temptation to check his out, but I learned my lesson the hard way awhile back.....don't do it, it's too painful and may set you back.

I don't miss that part of our relationship, the wondering who he is chatting with, why he got all of those strange pop ups (later found out it was a dating site, really?) the addiction to gambling, the lies, the secrets the suspicions....don't miss it at all.
I heard a good statement a few months back. turn off all electronics by 7:00- 8:00 pm or so, concentrate on your family, your spouse. What good advice, could save a lot of relationships I think.

Just read the article! So wanted to send it to my stbx, but why break my NC when the damage is already done. Great article Amy, thanks for sharing.

Have a great day everybody!!!

Amy, our exes often sound similar to me, it is the "band guy" thing i guess, but there's more to it than that.

my stbxh really started going nuts with his FB shortly after Baby J came along. he started sending and accepting friend requests from people he doesnt even know, some even overseas. he said it was to promote his band, he'd say, "i can't ask people to like the band from the band page" so he'd add them as his personal friend and then tell them to go add his band's page. geez, this sounds even stupider in writing than it sounded coming out of his mouth. it got so bad, that i refused to allow him to "share" photos of the baby on his personal page, and i wouldnt tag him in baby photos either. i explained to him that i don't want a bunch of strangers seeing pics of our kid, knowing where we live and work, etc. but all that mattered was if something was "good for the band" (he said that about everything imaginable).

during our attempt at reconciliation, he gave me his FB password. the day after he walked out on us for good, i found at least 9 convo's between him and women, from within a few hours of him walking out, soliciting them for sex. the smart part of my brain tells me he was doing this all along, he just decided to stop hiding it once he walked out. he was more focused on getting "likes" on FB than on ever playing w his son. to the extent that if he was watching the baby, he'd only do so if our then-10-month-old would play quietly in the corner of the room while he played online. if J started to interrupt daddy's internet time, he expected me to stop doing housework and take care of "my" baby, or he'd yell at J to quit bothering him. for some FB just gives them so much narcissistic supply, it becomes like another drug for them..

Social Media/Technology have for certain changed the way we live, think, date, etc. Is the era of FAKEBOOK. I know many couples who refrain from using it of have joint accounts. I do not believe social media is beneficial for any type of relationship - whether is with our mates or even our children - it takes up a lot of precious time that we can be investing in true relationships. We are connected yet disconnected and it's getting worst by the minute.

In my past relationship it was an issue - the person was a heavy user and did a lot of online flirting and even online dating sites while with me - I am just thankful I no longer have to deal with that and moving forward I will not get involved with a heavy social media user. Moderation is the key.

Thank you for sharing.

Thank you all for your responses. I am not alone in this mess then, and that is good to know. He said I was being jealous and possessive. Ha.

My ex boyfriend found his current girlfriend on social media while he was dating me! I think negatively about social media when it is used for the wrong reasons. Social media has given people choices.

I had that problem. When he became unhappy with me, instead of talking to me, he went to online dating sites. I dont blame social media for what happened, though. FB has been a wonderful thing for me and my family and friends. My sibs and I are hearing impaired and social media has been good for us.
I think it's like anything else in that it can be used for good or evil--just depends on the person.

Social media provides means of connecting in secret, so it mAkes easier for those with crap at their core to be tempted to cheat because they can get awAy with it

The problem does not lie in social media, but with the individual. My ex would have found another regardless.