In today's society, social media is a huge part of our generation. It helps us get jobs, connect with friends who we might have moved away from when we went to college, and it gives us easy ways to get news, updates, and keep up with celebrities. However, there are negative sides when it comes to relationships and what "social media" deems as a "real relationship".

A real relationship doesn't need to be shown off on social media everyday. Yeah, it's cute to tag your boyfriend in a man crush Monday post or show off your girl on women crush Wednesday but do you need to do it EVERY single week? No. Your boyfriend or girlfriend should know everyday that you love and appreciate them, you shouldn't have to tell social media that. You don't need to post a status every couple hours about how much you love each other. Your relationship shouldn't live online, it should be lived in person. Social media shouldn't know your every move.

A real relationship doesn't need 24/7 contact. Don't listen to the memes that say, "if you can go an hour without talking to me, go a few more." IT'S WRONG. I'm a guilty participant in this sometimes, mostly because my anxiety is a real beotch. It's nice to have your boyfriend text you all day while he isn't with you, I understand that. But it shouldn't be the norm. You shouldn't have forced communication. Also, think about how many husband and wives go to work, do their day, and have minimum contact. It doesn't mean you don't love them, but you're working, you're busy. If your boyfriend’s hanging with his friends, he's putting effort into them. It doesn't mean he doesn't love you, he's just giving them time like you want him to give you time. No need to text constantly, every minute saying the same things over and over. If something happens, or you want to tell them something, that's great. But having constant contact all day will leave nothing for you to talk about at night when you finally get together again. This took me a little time to understand, but it makes sense and is true.

People in a real relationship don't need put their business on social media. The best way to have a healthy, happy relationship is to keep it between you two. If you want to post a status about them here and there, obviously that's fine. Post away. If you go to dinner, update! Anniversary? Update! However, don't post your every move and do not post petty status updates when you're angry with them. If you post about a fight, especially indirectly, things will not go smoothly. I'm telling you. Never be petty, never post negatively about each other even in a fight. Keep your personal business off of social media. That's the best way to have a real, healthy relationship.

A real relationship doesn't need a status update about how much you love them every hour. I can't stress this enough. I mentioned this a little in the previous paragraphs, but it deserved it's own. I don't know how many times I go on Twitter or Facebook and see an "I have the best boyfriend" or "I love my boyfriend so much" post. Don't get me wrong, posting about it is fine but the key here is moderation. I feel like when someone posts almost every couple hours about their boyfriend and how great/how in love they are, I ask the question of who they're trying to convince. Us or themselves?

Don't take any of this the wrong way, I'm not bashing people who do this. I'm trying to let people know that if you need to reassure social media all the time, you're actually subconsciously reassuring yourself. If that happens, and you need to reassure yourself like that, you probably shouldn't be in the relationship. Half the time I found out that couples who overly post and act "perfect" on social media, aren't. I know this from experience. You post a lot of them and how happy you are simply to try and convince yourself, not others. If this is you, please don’t be in this type of relationship. It’s not healthy for you.

And remember, don't go by social media standards either. Don't listen to memes that say you need 24/7 contact with your boyfriend, or how if he doesn't do a certain thing he isn't into you. Everybody's different; everybody's relationship is different. What works for others may not work for you, and that's okay. Just remember, as long as you're happy, and your boyfriends happy, other people’s standards don't matter.