Relationship Issue on Facebook Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Relationship Issue on Facebook - Research Paper Example Communication in relationships used to be based on letters and phone calls, and face-to-face interaction was more common, one could only meet new people face to face or by introduction, say by a mutual friend. Over the last few years, the dynamics of relationships and interactions has paradigmatically changed since thanks to modern technology, one does not even have to leave their house or home to communicate or interact with someone. This social interaction has been enhanced and dominated by social networking sites, the leading ones being Facebook and twitter (Ayodele 2). People, especially the youth, have taken to social networks not only to communicate with their friends, but as make new ones. Many love relationships have also been formed and flourished online on these social networks; indeed, there are those who join Facebook with the sole intention of dating and finding love. While many of these relationships become successful, there are many more which end up in heartbreak and sometimes even tragically because even criminals and stalkers use the internet to lure their victims. Therefore, it is imperative that we consider several questions, such as if Facebook poses a threat to the security of already existing relationships. What motivates people to look for love in Facebook? Can Facebook be considered a realistic and practical way of starting and building relationships? This essay will focus on the last question; it shall discuss, argue and contest the appropriateness of Facebook as a facilitator for relationships by examining the issues that surround Facebook relationships. There are several issues that make Facebook a shaky setting for developing and growing relationships, one of this is the effect Facebook has on pre-existing relationships. Consider that two people are in a relationship and both happen to be friends on Facebook. One of them may join a group or make friends with a member of the opposite sex who might send suggestive messages or gifts to them. Bearing in mind that the line between innocent flirting and cheating might mean different things to different partners, a post on someone’s timeline may cause friction and result in the termination of a relationship (Ilana 878). In another situation, when couples that are friends on Facebook have a falling out or disagreement, one of them may update something about it on their page, and this can cause their partner to feel humiliated. Moreover, youths often use media and technology to promote sexual behavior through highly sexually suggestive messages and sometimes picture in what has been dubbed sexting (Pascoe 6). Facebook easily offers an avenue for this: when people are online, they are able to hide their shyness and will be bolder. This will encourage behavior such as flirting, which easily becomes serious and in some cases turns into full-blown sexting where people send each other suggestive or even nude pictures as well as explicit Messages. If people meet onlin e, they are likely to engage in such activity because lack of direct contact emboldens them; unfortunately, this makes deceit a common future in Facebook relationships (Ayodele 8). In case such an association was to develop in to relationship, two people may move from being friends to being on sexting terms before they have even met in person. Therefore, should they meet, they are likely to engage in sexual activity without knowing much about each other ergo risking contacting sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, AIDS, herpes and others. Facebook has been accused of spoiling relationships, especially long distance ones. This is because while Facebook offers an avenue