Social networking and romantic relationship in young adults

Pages: 349-354
Soni Kewalramani and Sneha Hazra (Amity Institute of Behavioral and Allied Sciences, Amity University, Lucknow Campus, Uttar Pradesh)
Sneha Hazra (Department of Applied Psychology, AIBAS, Amity University, Lucknow Campus, Uttar Pradesh)

The purpose of the present paper is to study the effect of usage of social networks on romantic relationships in young adults. Social networking is the online platform that allows users to create profile in their website and connect with other users within that same website. Romantic relationship is the expression of love between two individuals, characterized with a feeling of strong attraction, personal attachment and sexual desire for each other. Social networking stands as an important aspect in the lives of young adults as it helps them to stay linked with the world and maintain relationships (professional or personal). On the other hand, romantic relationship too adds an essence in this phase of young adulthood. The study is about how social networking and romantic relationships, both being substantial aspects for young adults, are related. The sample used for this study comprises 60 subjects (25 males & 35 females) in the age group of 18 25 years. The tools used for this study are (1.) SONTUS (Social Networking Time Use Scale) developed by Olufadi (2016); and (2.) Couple Satisfaction Index (CSI-32) developed by Funk and Rogge (2007). The hypothesis seeks a negative impact of time spent in social networking on romantic relationships on young adults. However, the finding of the study unlikely shows that the relationship between the time spent by an individual on social networking sites and satisfaction in their relationship is negligible.