"It's not official unless it's on Facebook." You've heard it. You've said it. You know exactly what it means. Changing your relationship status on the world's largest social networking site used to be the strongest statement you could make. It was either the most public profession of love and dedication for your significant other or the biggest burn to your ex you could make, and everyone knew about it. Although recently, relationship debuts and breakups are definitely coming out through the power of a picture, and the Instagram couple craze might still be a problem for your love life.
The good news: Social media has shifted the power of the Facebook relationship status over to Instagram, as users have inevitably found a new way to debut their significant other to their followers. It's the picture of them across the dinner table at a candle-lit dinner or the "candid" kissing picture with an affectionate caption that has overpowered Facebook's simple statement of status. Especially for the college dating scene, this is the greatest thing that's ever happened. It is without a doubt more acceptable to post an Instagram with your hookup or new partner at a formal or tailgate than it would be to update your Facebook to, "It's Complicated," with whomever.
The bad news: Experts have conducted countless studies about how Facebook relationship statuses negatively affect relationships. According to a study conducted by the Journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking in 2013, social media conflicts had a significant correlation with negative relationship outcomes. “Previous research has shown that the more a person in a romantic relationship uses Facebook, the more likely they are to monitor their partner's Facebook activity more stringently, which can lead to feelings of jealousy," said lead study author Russell Clayton, doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri in an article published by Women's Health Magazine. Now that Instagram has taken over the coming-out of relationships on social media, does that mean your relationship is more likely to be successful? Experts are still saying no. Once you've posted that first cute photo of you and your significant other, you'll start to notice other people's photos with their boyfriend or girlfriend of six years. Vogue writer and author Karley Sciortino asked the essential question in a 2014 article, "How can one ever be truly satisfied when, right there in your phone, lies an endless stream of photographic evidence that tons of people are having more fun and are more in love than you are?" The constant activity and connections between users, even if it's on a different platform than Facebook, will still create similar feelings of jealousy and issues of self-worth in relationships.
Whatever your status is, how it looks on social media will never be more important than how you treat yourself or your partner. With summer heating up, the new switch to Instagram relationship statuses will be the perfect way to post your fun in the sun with your hot new fling, or a way to show you're single and ready to mingle. My vote: get posting people.
