It’s not complicated — a recent study found if couples are Facebook official, their relationship may last longer.
Catalina Toma, an assistant professor in communication science at the University of Wisconsin, developed the first study to investigate how couples’ self-presentation on Facebook affects the longevity and commitment level of their relationships over time.
Toma created the experiment to further her research on how people view themselves in a public online space and in their personal lives.
The Facebook effect: UW professor researches self-presentation
The study involved college-aged, heterosexual couples. The study didn’t include same-sex couples because the experience of coming out on Facebook could be a psychologically different experience from that of a heterosexual couple, Toma said.
But despite the study’s scope, Faculty Director of the UW Couples Lab, Lauren Papp said it’s “critical” to investigate the interface between technology and relationships.
“It’s an exciting time for this type of research because we know that technology, in so many ways, including through social media involvement, is playing a role in our lives,” Papp said “And of course that plays a role in our relationships.”
Toma gathered information from participants using the “See Friendship” application on Facebook. This app creates a joint profile between two people and captures all Facebook information both individuals have in common.
She collected data such as whether the participant and their partner were listed as “in a relationship,” how many photographs the couple shared and how much they wrote on each other’s wall.
The researchers also looked at the couples’ joint affiliation, which compares a participant and their partner’s event participation and mutual friends.
The participants were given a questionnaire to find out how committed they felt toward their partner. After six months, the researchers followed up with the participants to find out which couples were still together.
The researchers found that couples who listed themselves as “in a relationship” posted more photos with their partner and posted more on their partner’s wall. As a result, Toma said these partners were more likely to feel committed and stay together after six months.
“We are finding a correlation between commitment and Facebook self-presentation,” Toma said. “Displays of affection on Facebook tend to be quite popular. We were interested in figuring out what that does to people who engage in that.”
Toma said these findings match a theory in social psychology called public commitment. The idea is nobody wants to misrepresent themselves or create a discrepancy between who they are in public and who they are in private.
The public plays an important role in shaping how people think of themselves, Toma said.
But for those who use Facebook and don’t include their relationship, a lack of commitment or stability might be indicated.
Toma said there’s room for expansion of her research. She mentioned the possibility of extending the study in the future to include other forms of social media, such as Instagram. She also said she could look into other types of relationships such as married, engaged and same-sex couples.
“People shift how they behave to match whatever public claims they make,” Toma said. “The public has this important function in shaping how people think of themselves.”
