Studies have shown that people mostly use social media sites like Facebook because they meet

the basic need of connecting to others: Making friends, keeping tabs on their lives, and updating
friends on the status of your life.
While sites like Facebook were designed to connect people online who already knew each other
offline, most people using them have formed connections with people whom they didnt know
outside of Facebook. Thats particularly the case with millennials.
But how does social media impact the quality of friendships among members of this generation?
Like gambling and substance use, the need for attention via likes or comments can quickly
become addictive and cause controversy between friends. In fact, according to a Kaspersky Lab
study, 42% of social media users admit to feeling jealous when a friends posts receive more
attention than theirs.
The need to garner likes can also cause people to betray the relationships they often claim to
value. For example, 15% acknowledge posting pictures of their friends under the influence of
alcohol.
Revealing confidences and posting other embarrassing pictures is also an issue as 58%
acknowledge being upset or embarrassed because of a friend posting a photo that they did not
want to be seen.
The impact of social media on millennial marriages
A recent study revealed a strong correlation between social media use and unhappy marriages
and divorce. Specifically, increased enrollment on social media is tracking with increased
divorce rates and reports of unhappy marriages.
Social media doesnt only influence the way we make friends, said Julia Rodgers, co-founder
of Holistic Divorce. Our romantic lives receive additional pressure as well. While the study
does not prove causation, it is certainly a disturbing phenomenon.
A poll conducted by Pew Research Center mirrors the previous study. Some 45% of millennial
respondents said that social media has had a major impact on their relationships.

Lets take a look at the way that many millennials see social media impacting their marriages.

1. Lack of personal attention and additional tension