Social networks have given everyone a unique opportunity: to track every detail in the life of partners and learn in advance about all potential threats. Robert Tokunaga tried to find out what features in a relationship lead to the fact that two people begin to follow each other.
In a study by linguist and sociologist Robert Tokunaga, 126 people in romantic relationships responded to questions posted online (1). Approximately two thirds of them were students. The survey assessed such parameters as the importance of relationships for a person, satisfaction with them, the attractiveness of potential alternative partners, trust in a current partner, and the seriousness of intentions. Separately, the question of how often the study participants check their partner’s page on social networks was considered.
It turned out that those who were most often followed by partners were those who were not satisfied with the relationship or suspected that the partner could easily find someone else for himself. An interesting question of “cause and effect” is: do relationships worsen due to surveillance on Facebook, or does the surveillance itself begin because of a bad relationship? With the help of statistical analysis, it was possible to determine that the second option is more likely. That is, the one who follows the other is not satisfied with what is happening now in a couple.
The survey revealed another interesting point. It would be logical to assume that someone who does not have much confidence in another will be more likely to follow a partner. These studies partly confirmed this assumption. But it also turned out that it is true only for those people who have invested in relationships and have a lot to lose if they end. The rest did not find a connection between the level of trust in a partner and surveillance of him. Apparently, those who do not take their relationship with their current partner too seriously are ready to take risks and not follow his behavior – unlike those who have something to lose.
In general, new data suggests that relationships are unlikely to collapse if partners decide to follow each other on the Web. However, if you are tormented by an obsessive desire to engage in surveillance, you should think about the reasons – why do you need it?
(1) R. Tokunaga «Interpersonal surveillance over social network sites: Applying a theory of negative relational maintenance and the investment model». Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 2015.