Does social media put even more pressure on young people to get into relationships?
Social media is a weird and wonderful thing. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and many other sites are great ways for people to stay in contact and make new friends but can also have a darker side.
Cyber bullying, promotion of self harm/eating disorders and violent imagery are all things we have wide access to daily due to the websites and apps we use.
Recently however another issue has cropped up causing unnecessary strain on the young people of today. 2014 has seen the rise of the “Relationship Goals” hashtag and Twitter/Tumblr topics, featuring images mainly of couples performing basic acts of compassion, yet being romanticised. However the hashtag highlights the obsession young people have today with relationships and sex. To be single is somehow portrayed as a negative and teenagers as young as 13, the youngest age for Facebook, are exposed to the idea that if you are single you are somehow of less worth than somebody with a boyfriend or girlfriend. This could have a potentially damaging effect on the self esteem and confidence of young people today, being single should not be portrayed as something unfortunate. Sites such as Tumblr, a photo and reblogging site also seems to be relationship-centric with the majority of blogs featuring imagery of couples lying in bed, holding hands and kissing. Where are the images of the independent successful individuals with “Life and Career Goals” rather than focussing all their attention onto another person? Exposure to this way of thinking at such a young age can cause young people to shift their attention from the things that really matter at this point in their life such as school, family and friends to focussing on the search for a partner, without really being emotionally mature enough to handle the strains a relationship can bring.
Its not just young teenagers however, older teenagers and young people can feel pressured that they aren’t good enough if they are single and this can cause feelings of low self esteem and depression.
“I feel like it’s a status thing, it automatically makes me feel insecure.” a female student at Bournemouth University explains, “Within minutes of meeting them, girls at uni feel the need to tell you they have a boyfriend.”
This isn’t a new thing and young people have always been obsessed with gossiping about boys, girls, relationships and the like. However with more and more advancements in social networking, and more young people online than ever before, the pressure on young people to get into relationships simply to keep up or feel included is worse than ever.
