Vianni's thesis

THESIS

THE SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF FACEBOOK ON PEOPLE’S INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS

Submitted by: Vianni Gomez Department of Human Services

In fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Human Services

Boricua College Bronx, New York

Fall 2013

Advisor: Dr. Colon

Table of Contents: __________________________________________________________________ Title:

Page:

Abstract ……………………………………………………………………..

I

CHAPTER I 1.

2.

3.

4.

Introduction ………………………………………………………………………

Research Problem ………………………………..……………………………….

Rationale & Purpose of the Study ……………………………………………….

Research Questions ……………………………………………………………….

1 2–5 6 7

CHAPTER II 1.

Literature Review …………………………………..…………………………….

8 – 11

CHAPTER III 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Methodological Design …………………………………………………….…….

Research Design ……………………………………………………...…………..

Data Collection Techniques ……………………………………………………...

Sampling Techniques…………………………………………………..…………

Data Analysis & Interpretation …………………………………………...………

12 13 14 15 16

CHAPTER IV 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Findings ……………………………………………………………….…………..

Subject’s Demographics ……………………………………………..……………

Facebook Use ………………………………………………..………………….

Facebook Relationship Status …………………………………………….……….

Trust, Jealousy, & Facebook Friends ………………………………………..……

Facebook Pictures & Messages ………………………………………….…..….

Facebook Password, Privacy & Access …................................................................

Analysis of the Findings …………………………………………………………..

17 17 – 18 19 – 20 21 – 22 23 – 25 26 27 – 29 30 – 34

CHAPTER V 1.

2.

3.

Summary ……………………………………………………….………………….

Conclusions ………………………………………………………………………..

Recommendations …………………………………………………...…………….

35 – 36 37 – 38 39

APPENDIXES 1.

2.

3.

4.

Appendix A ………………………………………………………………………..

Appendix B ………………………………………………………………………..

Appendix C ………………………………………………………………………..

Appendix D ………………………………………………………………………..

REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………………...

40 41 – 42 43 – 44 45 – 47 48 – 50

Abstract:

This pluralistic research study focused on investigating the sociopsychological effects of Facebook on people’s intimate relationships. Recent studies have shown that the use of Facebook seems to generate negative feelings, such as jealousy, which cause problems in people’s intimate relationships. The purpose of the study was to examine whether there is a correlation between the exposure of jealousy-provoking information on Facebook and its negative impact on a person’s intimate relationship in the offline environment. The investigation involved questioning couples who experienced jealousy or ended their relationships because of inappropriate interaction they saw their partners engaging in on Facebook. Content analysis technique was used to gather and analyze the data. The results reflected that Facebook related activities do increase jealousy among intimate partners, but that Facebook is not to be blamed for the termination of an intimate relationship. Thus there was no correlation between experiencing Facebook-related jealousy and the termination of the relationship. The data was analyzed from a psychological perspective and it was concluded that people are drawn to Facebook to fulfill their need to socialize and interact with others. People have the need to belong, to feel love and appreciation from others, and Facebook is a medium where these needs can be fulfilled. Because Facebook facilitates doing so, people often portray their “ideal-self” on Facebook instead of their “real-self”.

I

The Sociopsychological Effects of Facebook on People’s Intimate Relationships

Chapter I: Introduction The twenty-first century is a time of great technological advances, filled with cybernetic interactions. In the past few decades, technology has completely re-shaped the way we interact, think, and socialize with one another. The use of networking sites has become part of most people’s lives. Today’s technology allows for constant interaction with these websites, twentyfour hours a day, seven days a week. People around the world praise how these networking sites make it easy to stay in touch with current and old friends near and far. At a psychological level, the use of Facebook has influenced the way we see ourselves in relation to others. Facebook is a virtual place where people can share their lives with a large number of people at the same time.

It is certainly cause for concern that recent studies have found that frequent use of these networking sites can generate negative feelings among people. A new study from the University of Michigan, for example, concluded that the more people check Facebook, the more likely they are to feel worse about their own lives (Kelly, 2013). The research suggests that if people compare themselves to their friends, they feel inferior when they see a picture that shows their friends are more successful than they themselves. As a result the researcher was motivated to conduct this particular study, which focused on investigating the sociopsychological effects of Facebook on people’s intimate relationships.

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Research Problem: As of the year 2013, Facebook has reached over one billion subscribers around the world, and this number is projected to increase in years to come. Because of Facebook’s popularity and increased use, it is important to study and understand how the use of these networking sites can affect our lives. The use of Facebook seems to generate negative feelings, such as jealousy, which cause problems in people’s intimate relationships. In order to better understand what Facebook is and what it offers to its users the researcher investigated about the advantages and disadvantages of using Facebook.

There are several advantages that Facebook offers. Amongst these are the following: Facebook costs its users nothing. Facebook has over one billion subscribers around the world, which allows for networking and connecting with people from anywhere in the world. Facebook makes it easy for people to share their feelings, communicate what is happening in their daily lives, and get feedback from friends. Facebook allows people to easily promote groups, events, and activities. Another advantage that Facebook offers, and that is quickly becoming very popular, is the instant video chat feature. Facebook allows its users not only to chat by using instant message but also using a webcam to see each other in real time.

A young Latino actor, Carasaf Sanchez, is a vivid example of the advantages of using Facebook to move a career forward. Mr. Sanchez has created a humoristic character he calls “Carlota La Mas Barrial.” He takes pictures dressed as Carlota in which he makes dramatic faces and to which he attaches messages giving advice and criticism about relationships and life using colloquial language. Mr. Sanchez created a Facebook public figure page for his character, which has quickly gained international popularity. Presently his page has over 318,000 likes and is

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being followed by hundreds around the world. Mr. Sanchez has spoken about Facebook on several TV shows and in various interviews, praising how Facebook has helped him promote his work as an actor and popularized the character he created “Carlota La Mas Barrial.”

Below is a picture of one of Mr. Sanchez’s message pictures on Facebook. In it Mr. Sanchez is criticizing women who do not respect married men.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=213818022129213&set=a.125589447618738.22228.125586524285697&type=1&theater

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Despite its positive effects, the excessive use of these networking sites can negatively impact our ability to physically socialize with one another. According to Dr. Keith Ablow, in the article “American Psychiatric Association Poised to Declare Internet a Drug,� Facebook has been classified as addictive. Ablow explains that the APA (American Psychiatric Association) claims that social networking on the internet can cause a loss of reality and sense of self, which can potentially lead to pathological and delusional narcissism (Ablow, 2013). Facebook takes too much of our valuable time, keeping us from having physical contact with others, and the addiction to it seems to be becoming harder to control as Facebook users carry Facebook on their mobile phones at all times.

Another disadvantage of Facebook use is the lack of privacy associated with it. There are large numbers of complaints from Facebook users regarding their lack of control over the information that is shared about them on Facebook. In recent years, Facebook administrators have made considerable efforts to allow users to control the information about them that is visible to others. However, it is uncertain how much information about its users Facebook shares with corporations, businesses, sponsors, the government, and the local authorities.

In terms of intimate relationships, several studies have shown how the use of Facebook specifically generates jealousy among intimate partners and even close friends, jeopardizing or ending the relationship. A study done by Muise, Christofides, and Desmarais (2009) explored how Facebook may expose an individual to potentially jealousy-provoking information about their partners; the study concluded that there is a strong link between Facebook use and jealousy.

Another study by Bowe (2010) investigated how specific rituals (things like changing the relationship status and posting of photographs) on Facebook can impact a person’s intimate relationship in the offline environment; this particular study concluded that Facebook provided

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the stimulus that generated a negative impact in offline relationships since it can intensify feelings of possessiveness and jealousy in an intimate relationship. These studies confirmed that there are positive emotions and feelings generated by this new style of non-physical contact with others, but also revealed how Facebook can serve as a medium for generating jealousy and destroy intimate relationships.

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Rationale and Purpose of the Study:

Taking into consideration that technology will only continue to move forwards, these issues were worth investigating in order to better understand the effects of cybernetic interactions on people’s social relationships. The researcher was particularly interested in this topic because several friends have experienced problems in their intimate relationships because of Facebook due to finding evidence of unfaithfulness and cheating on Facebook. The effects of social media on human emotions, mental health, and social relations are relevant to human services. This study is related to the counseling process in Human Services since it demonstrated that there is a correlation between the exposure of jealousy-provoking information on Facebook and its negative impact on a person’s intimate relationship in the offline environment.

One of the goals of Human Services is to view human problems from a socio-ecological perspective or a whole-person perspective, which perspectives involve viewing human problems in the context of how the family unit, community, society, and, in the case of this study, technology and cybernetic interactions interconnect. Jealousy is described as an emotion involving negative thoughts, feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety, all components that can potentially de-stabilize a person’s mental health and have a negative impact on a person’s social and family life. With regard to human services, the purpose of this study was to provide valuable information for human service professionals regarding the understanding of the effects of social media on a person’s mental health and self-esteem.

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Research Questions: Based on recent research it seems that Facebook can lead to all kinds of problems in intimate relationships, but is it fair to blame Facebook for the failure of an intimate relationship?

There is room for debate as to whether the use of Facebook generates negative feelings which can negatively affect people’s intimate relationships. In order to address the problem, the following two questions were posed and answered in this research study: 1. What Facebook-related activities tend to trigger jealousy?

2. Is Facebook to be blamed for the failure of intimate relationship?

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Chapter II: Literature Review Numerous articles have been written about the effect of Facebook on relationships, with jealousy being a recurrent theme. For example, a newspaper article by Valdes (2009) focused on how time spent on Facebook can ruin people’s marriages. The article focuses on a few couples whose relationships are being torn apart because of Facebook. One newlywed couple is considering a divorce because of Facebook. The husband believes that his wife spends too much time on Facebook, and she isn’t sure whether she could give it up for him. Another couple turned to violence because of Facebook. Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle, Quinn Ojinnaka, was arrested because of a fight with his wife that got out of hand, over a woman he added as a friend on his Facebook account. Another article by Cribb (2010) pointed out how “social network sites such as Facebook have changed the nature of public and private in the sense that much more information is available to individuals about their partners relationships and interactions than they would have with other online or offline methods of communication”. Further examples include an article that called attention to the ambiguous nature of Facebook. Hill (2009) wrote about a woman who was surprised by her boyfriend’s new Facebook profile picture: He was kissing a girl on the cheek. The girl stated that “we trust each other. Deep down, I know nothing is going on. But when you first see it, it’s like Oh my goodness! What’s going on here?” Where, then, is trust? Cribb believes that Facebook has a “unique ability to stir jealousy and suspicion.”

In addition to the articles mentioned above, a study by Aquisti & Gross, Imagined Communities: Awareness, Information Sharing, and Privacy on Facebook (2006), investigated the impact of privacy concerns on Facebook members and their behavior. In this study they surveyed a representative sample of members of Facebook at a US academic institution, and compared the survey data to information retrieved from the network itself. They looked for

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underlying demographic or behavioral differences between the communities of the network’s members and non-members; they analyzed the impact of privacy concerns on members’ behavior by comparing members’ stated attitudes with actual behavior; they documented the changes in behavior subsequent to privacy-related information exposure. They found that an individual’s privacy concerns are only a weak predictor of his membership in the network. Individuals who claim to value their privacy join the network and reveal large amounts of personal information.

Some manage their privacy concerns by trusting their ability to control the information they provide and external access to it. However, they also found evidence of members’ misconceptions about the online community’s actual size and composition, and about the visibility of members’ profiles. This is particularly important for my study since there is some belief that the amount of exposure and lack of privacy influences the growth of jealousy.

Jealousy is the first step toward suspicion of infidelity among couples. A study by the American Association of Sexuality Educators Counselors and Therapists (Contemporary Sexuality, Vol. 44 No. 10, p32, Oct. 2010) identifies seven factors that contribute to internet infidelity: 1. Anonymity — online communication allows users to assert an idealized version of

themselves.

2.

Accessibility — computers and smart phones are ubiquitous.

3. Affordability — the cost of participation is relatively low.

4.

Approximation — the Internet mimics real world communication, i.e., IM chats.

5. Acceptability — online communication is increasingly the social norm.

6. Ambiguity — it’s unclear what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

7.

Accommodation — the difference between one’s real and ideal self.

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Another article, Does Facebook Cause Jealousy, or just Make it Worse? by Dr. Stephanie Sarkis (2011), explains reasons why Facebook increases jealousy. Some of these reasons are outlined as follows: ·

People find out information on Facebook about their partner that they otherwise would not be privy to;

·

Facebook provides more opportunities for reconnecting with former partners;

·

A false sense of intimacy may be established on Facebook, therefore leading people to be more prone to cheating;

·

A relationship may already consist of at least one partner with jealousy issues, and Facebook just is another outlet for the jealous behavior;

·

People may develop a "real-life identity" and a "Facebook identity", thus leading the partner to feel as if they really don't know their partner anymore;

·

Increased time on Facebook may be cutting into quality time with the partner;

·

It reminds people daily that their partner had a romantic life before them;

·

People may become concerned about their partner's Facebook friends posting suggestive messages on their wall;

·

A partner may be "poking" people that a person deems inappropriate.

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Ian Kerner in the article “Could Facebook Destroy Your Marriage?” (2011) describes how men in particular can potentially fall in love all over again when interacting on Facebook with their exes, often staying in front of the computer to self-pleasure by going back to those potent formative memories of the past. “That’s how strong the past is – even stronger than internet porn!” Kerner’s statement supports my thesis that Facebook can be the means to re-connect with former lovers, thus encouraging past feelings to flourish again, resulting in infidelity.

In some cases the use of Facebook can be monitored by lawyers to gather evidence of infidelity and build up cases against unfaithful spouses. Such information has been used many times to decide custody and determine who is at fault in the dissolution of a marriage. The article “Divorce Lawyers’ New Friend: Social Networks” by Nadine Brozan cites several examples in which lawyers claim to have used evidence discovered online to impose the threat of potential embarrassment. This particular article also points out that “while finding evidence of wrongdoing by one party is no longer as crucial as it was before no-fault divorce laws were adopted across the country — last year New York became the last state to do so — contests over child custody or assets often require proof of blame.” ““No-fault does not mean that fault is irrelevant,” said Kenneth P. Altshuler, a lawyer in Portland, Me., and the president-elect of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. “It is when you are lying about money, when you show bad behavior in front of children, when there is untreated substance abuse. Facebook has made it very easy to show lack of credibility and that is what can win a case. Once you catch them in one lie, nothing else they say is credible to the judge.””

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Chapter III: Methodological Design The increased use of networking sites such as “Facebook”, has completely changed the way we interact and socialize with one another. Because of Facebook’s popularity and increased use, it is important to study and understand how the use of these networking sites can affect our lives. The use of Facebook seems to generate negative feelings, such as jealousy, and thus cause problems in people’s intimate relationships. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate if there is a correlation between the exposure of jealousy-provoking information on Facebook and its negative impact on a person’s intimate relationship in the offline environment. The investigation consisted on questioning couples who experienced jealousy or ended their relationships because of inappropriate interaction which they have found their partners engaging in on Facebook.

The hypothesis was that Facebook-related activity led to an increase in jealousy among intimate partners which contributed to the termination of the intimate relationship. The data was collected from the questionnaires in a quantitative manner, and then it was analyzed and interpreted in a qualitative manner using the content analysis technique. The interpretation and analysis of the collected data corroborated the problem statement (the concern that Facebook generates jealousy and thus causes problems in people’s intimate relationships), the purpose of the study (which was to further understand the effects of cybernetic interactions on human social relationships), and the research questions (which included whether Facebook generates jealousy among intimate partners resulting in the end of their relationship).

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Research Design:

This study used pluralistic research. Content analysis technique was most appropriate because this study involved using both quantitative and qualitative measurements. Content analysis research design was appropriate for this study because it involves using techniques for making inferences by objectively and systematically identifying specific characteristics of the data. This study used quantitative measurements to illustrate in numbers how many of the subjects involved responded to a certain question,; thus correlations could be made with some degree of relative certainty.

Qualitative research was also used to measure and analyze the data. The qualitative method was appropriate to interpret the data because jealousy cannot be measured in numbers.

Jealousy is a feeling subject to interpretation based on individual experience and perception.

Thus it was most appropriate to measure and analyze using the questionnaire and interview formats. The content of this study demanded both quantitative and qualitative research designs.

By combining both types of research, the researcher was able to use the quantitative data to increase the validity of the qualitative data. In addition to increasing the validity of the research data, combining both research designs renders the results complementary to one another.

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Data Collection Techniques: A questionnaire was used as the primary means of gathering data. The initial step in content analysis involves sorting the content into thematic units according to content. Thus the researcher sorted the information obtained from the questionnaire into three sections: section I: subject’s demographic information; section II: information about Facebook use; and section III: information about the subjects’ experience of jealousy related to Facebook use, social cognition, and whether their intimate relationships ended due to a Facebook related incident. The goal of the questionnaire was to evaluate the degree to which the subjects experienced Facebook related jealousy and if their intimate relationships ended due to a Facebook-related jealousy incident.

The questions on the questionnaire that were intended to provide our research data were formulated as yes or no questions. The purpose of this technique was to be able to use manifest coding and thus be able to quantify how many questions the subjects answered “yes” or “no” to.

Thus manifest coding allowed the researcher to count how many of the subjects answered yes or no to a particular question. The manifest coding technique allowed the researcher to compress large amounts of words in text into fewer content categories; thus the data was objectively counted and converted into relevant information.

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Sampling Techniques: The researcher gathered the data by interviewing four Hispanics from the Bronx, New York (N=4), 2 women and 2 men; all active Facebook users. The age range was between 20-33 years old. The subjects were a mix of married, single, and dating people. The researcher met the subjects randomly on the streets of the Bronx, New York. The researcher invited the subjects to participate in the study and asked them to complete the questionnaire, which took about eight minutes to complete. During this meeting the researcher asked the subjects to sign the corresponding consent form (see appendix A). Subjects were informed that the questionnaire and their participation in the research study was confidential and anonymous.

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Data Analysis & Interpretation: The researcher collected and organized the data over a period of about two weeks. The study was completed in October 2013. The researcher interviewed the subjects and the responses were interpreted and analyzed to determine whether the subjects experienced Facebook-related jealousy and whether there was a correlation between experiencing Facebook related jealousy and termination of the relationship. The responses from the subjects were evaluated three different ways. First the responses were evaluated for the whole group (N=4), then the whole group was subdivided into two subgroups, one for women and one for men, for both of which N=2.

The percentage of responses from all four subjects was considered separately, identified, and referred to as 100% if all four subjects gave the same response to a particular question.

When the responses were divided by gender, the group of four became two groups of two. By making this subdivision the researcher was able to view, evaluate, compare, and contrast the differences in response by gender. To further explain how the percentage of responses was obtained when both women gave the same response to a particular question, the researcher referred to the response of women to that particular question being 100%; the same applied when men were evaluated in their gender group.

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Chapter IV: Findings

This research study was motivated by evidence that indicates that the use of Facebook seems to generate negative feelings, such as jealousies, thus cause problems on people’s intimate relationships. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate if there is a correlation between the exposure of jealousy-provoking information on Facebook and its negative impact on a person’s intimate relationship in the offline environment. These findings are organized in ways that are addressed in the problem statement and the research questions.

Subjects’ Demographics:

The questionnaire included a question to help identify the age of the participants. The purpose of this question was for the researcher to be able to identify and control for subjects who are involved in an intimate relationship based on their age range. This information was critically important in order to address the second of the study’s research questions, which specifically asks about intimate relationships.

The youngest age at which people are allowed to have a Facebook account is 13 years old. The researcher deliberately selected four subjects to participate in this study (N=4), all between the ages of 20 and 33. This age group was selected on purpose based on the fact that most people in the US engaged in serious intimate/romantic relationships in about this age range according to the US census bureau, which, on table 55-Marital Status of the population by sex, race, and Hispanic origin: 1990 to 2007, shows that in 2007, 58% of Americans age 18 and over were married compared to 25% who have never been married.

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According to J. Smith, in the graph below, 52% of US Facebook users in 2010 were between the ages of 18 and 34. Thus this age group best illustrates and represents young adults and adults who are potentially both active Facebook users and involved in an intimate relationship.

In this particular research study, from a total of four subjects, two were women (N=2) between the ages of 27 and 33, and two were men (N=2) between the ages of 20 to 26. All subjects (100%) reported themselves to be active Facebook users. All subjects (100%) reported being of Hispanic descent.

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Facebook use: In order to address research question number one (What Facebook related activities tend to trigger jealousy?), it was important for the researcher to evaluate how much time the subjects spend using Facebook. The purpose of this question was to determine whether there is any causeand-effect relationship or correlation between the amount of time people spend using Facebook and their experiencing more or less jealousy based on how much they use Facebook.

Based on the subjects’ answers to questions about Facebook use, the following data was recorded: 40% of all subjects reported that they log on to Facebook at least once a day, 20% 1 to 3 times a day, 10% 3-6 times a day, 10% 6 to 9 times a day, and 20% reported that they log on to Facebook 12 times a day or more. When looking at these results by gender: 60% of women reported that they log on to Facebook at least once a day, 20% 1 to 3 times, 0% 3 to 6 and 6 to 9 times respectively, and 20% reported that they log on to Facebook 12 times a day or more. In the men’s answers to this question, the finding reflected that 20% log on to Facebook at least once a day, 20% 1 to 3 times a day, 20% 3 to 6 and 6 to 9 times respectively, and 20% also log on to Facebook 12 times or more.

The findings concluded that 40% of the interviewed women would log on into Facebook between 1 and 12 times a day compared to 80% of men who would. As a result it can be concluded that men log on to Facebook more times a day than women.

In addition to logging on to Facebook, the researcher also evaluated the amount of time that the interviewed subjects spend using Facebook. The findings showed that: 70% of all 19

interviewed subjects use Facebook for less than one hour a day, 20% reported that they use Facebook between one and two hours a day, and 10% spend between two and three hours a day on Facebook. In terms of gender: 90% of women reported that they use Facebook for less than one hour a day and 10% reported that they use Facebook between one and two hours a day; conversely, 70% of men reported that they use Facebook for less than one hour a day, 15% reported that they use Facebook for between one and two hours, and 15% reported that they use Facebook for between two and three hours a day.

These findings showed that 30% of men use Facebook between one and three hours a day compared to 10% of women who do so. Thus it can be concluded that on average men spend more hours a day using Facebook than women do.

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Facebook relationship status: On the questionnaire there was a question regarding relationship status. This question was formulated in order for the researcher to determine whether the subjects were involved in an intimate relationship. This question was followed by asking what relationship status the subjects reported on Facebook. The answers to these questions were then compared and contrasted to determine whether false information given about relationship status can generate jealousy.

Facebook users can voluntarily report their relationship status on their profiles. When subjects were asked about their relationship status on Facebook 50% reported being single, 40% reported being married, and 10% reported being in a relationship. When these results were divided by gender, 60% of women reported being married, 20% reported being single, and 20% reported being in a relationship. In the case of men 90% reported being single and 10% reported being married.

Along the same lines, subjects were also asked about their relationship status in real life, meaning outside of Facebook. With regard to their real-life relationship status, subjects answered the following: 60% reported that their real life relationship status was married or in a serious relationship and 40% single or casually dating. When these results were divided by gender, the findings reflected that 60% of women reported being married, 20% reported being single, and 20% reported being in a relationship. In the case of men 20% reported being married, 60% reported being single and 20% reported being in a relationship.

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The results reported for the real life relationship status were then compared to the results reported for the Facebook relationship status, from which it can be concluded that 100% of the women in the study were consistent in their reporting of their relationship status both on Facebook and in real life, where only 30% of the men were consistent.

Based on the subjects’ answers to the questions related to relationship status both on Facebook and out in the real world, it can be concluded that 80% of the men identified themselves as single on Facebook even if they were dating or in a serious relationship, while females were 100% consistent in what they reported as their Facebook relationship status and their relationship status in real life. This finding shows that most men tend to be dishonest about their relationship status on Facebook.

Subjects were then asked if they would be upset if their partner’s relationship status were not accurate on Facebook. In regards to this question, 70% of all subjects reported that they would be upset at their partner if their Facebook’s relationship status were not accurate (meaning: not congruent to the real-life relationship status). Looking at this data by gender, the finding reflected that 90% of women would be upset if their partner’s Facebook relationship status were not accurate versus only 70% of men. Certainly women are more consistent when it comes to reporting their real relationship status on Facebook and seem to demand the same from their partner. Men are certainly more inconsistent in accurately reporting relationship status on Facebook, yet a significant number of men would be upset if their partner did not accurately represent their relationship status on Facebook.

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Trust, Jealousy and Facebook Friends: A number of yes and no questions were formulated in the questionnaire in order to evaluate the subject’s level of trust and tendency to become jealous in the context of Facebookrelated activities and in other contexts as well. These questions were deliberately formulated to address research question number one (What Facebook-related activities tend to trigger jealousy?).

In answering questions about trust, 60% of all men and women reported that they felt a deep trust in their partner/significant other, 30% reported not having a partner, and 10% reported not trusting their partner. When the findings were separated based on gender, it was conveyed that 90% of women reported feeling a deep trust in their partner and 10% reported not having a partner. As for men, 45% reported that they feel a deep level of trust in their partner, 45% reported not having a partner, and 10% reported not trusting their partner. Thus, based on these findings, it can be concluded that in general women are more inclined to feel deeply trusting toward their partner than are men.

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These results are illustrated in the graph below:

100% 80% 60% 40%

Women Men

20% 0%

Deep Trust

No Trust

No Partner

Women

90%

0%

10%

Men

45%

10%

45%

When asked about Facebook activity and jealousy, 50% of all subjects reported that they would feel jealous about their partner adding a new friend on Facebook. If the findings are separated according to gender, it can be concluded that 70% of women reported that they would not feel jealous in that situation, compared to 70% of the interviewed men who would.

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Taking into consideration that networking and accumulating friends tends to be one of Facebook users’ main objectives, the fact that the simple act of adding a friend on Facebook is a trigger of jealousy for 70% of men is cause for concern. Based on this finding, it can be concluded that men seem to become jealous more easily and this can be explained by their previously reported lack of trust in their partner, where 90% of women reported having a deep level of trust in their partner compared to only 70% of men. When asked about former partners, 70% of men reported that they would feel threatened if their partner added an ex as a Facebook friend, compared to 30% of women.

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Facebook pictures and messages:

The accessibility of communication, the ability to easily receive and send messages, pictures, and videos is one of Facebook’s greatest assets. However, engaging in these activities can potentially trigger jealousy and cause serious problems in a relationship. When asked about feeling jealous about their partner posting on the wall of a member of the opposite sex, 90% of men reported they have become jealous in that situation, compared to 30% of women.

Picture messages seem to generate more jealousy than textual messages on a person’s wall or sent privately. 100% of men and 90% of women reported they would feel jealous if their partner posted a picture with an ex on Facebook. Moreover, 100% of the men and 10% of women interviewed indicated that they would be jealous about their partner posting sexually provocative pictures.

In order to better evaluate the tendency toward feelings of jealousy along gender lines outside of Facebook, both men and women were asked if they had ever felt uncomfortable about their partner receiving a personal gift from someone of the opposite sex. In their answers to this question, 90% of males reported feeling uncomfortable, compared to only 10% of women. Thus it can also be concluded that in the broader social environment men are more likely to feel jealous than women.

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Facebook Password, Privacy, and Access:

The following findings were gathered in regard to Facebook passwords: the data showed that 75% of women have their partner’s Facebook’s password compared to 10% of the interviewed men. In addition, 30% of women reported they would be upset should their partner not provide them with their Facebook password. 100% of men reported that they would not be upset if their partner did not provide them with their Facebook password. Moreover, 100% of women reported they would be upset if they had limited access to their partner’s personal profile, while only 30% of men said they would.

The following graph represents the percentages of women and men that have and do not have their partner’s Facebook password:

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Have partner's FacebookPassword

Don't have partner's Facebook Password

Women

75%

25%

Men

10%

90%

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Based on the findings reported above, it can be concluded that sharing or having their partner’s Facebook password seems to increase trust and reduce jealousy: women were identified as less likely to suffer Facebook-related jealousy and this was directly correlated with them having their partner’s Facebook password, and thus more access to their partner’s private Facebook activities. In other words, women seem less likely to feel jealous about their partner’s Facebook activities as long as they have their partner’s passwords, i.e., unlimited access to the partner’s Facebook account.

Women seem to have a better understanding of the problems that Facebook can introduce into their romantic relationships. Their worries seem to justify their need to have their partner’s Facebook password in order to cope with their insecurities regarding their partner’s Facebook activities. The collected data reflects that women seem to be more insecure when it comes to Facebook’s activities, since 70% of women worry their partner might become romantically involved with someone on Facebook, compared to 30% of males. In addition, 70% of women also reported that they would be concerned if someone on Facebook were attracted to their partner, compared to only 30% of men.

Regardless of the numerous worries the subjects reported having about their partner’s Facebook activities, they do not seem to view Facebook as a threat to their relationship. This statement is supported by the research results where 80% of both men and women interviewed reported not being suspicious of their partner secretly developing a relationship via Facebook.

Men and women also agree in stating that they do not believe their significant other is using Facebook to re-connect with previous sexual or romantic partners. In addition, 70% of all

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subjects did not feel worried about their partner possibly using Facebook to initiate an intimate relationship. Nonetheless, 60% of all interviewed subjects reported having had a fight with their partner about Facebook, and 90% of all participants reported having experienced jealousy related to Facebook. In addition, 100% of the research participants stated that they believe Facebook facilitates cheating but they do not blame Facebook for the termination of their relationships.

When asked if they had ended a relationship because they suspected their partner was cheating on Facebook, 30% of women reported that they had ended a relationship because they suspected their partner had been cheating via Facebook compared to 0% of men. In addition, 10% of women reported having ended a relationship because they had discovered their partner was cheating by means of Facebook use, compared to 0% of men. This finding indicates that a small percentage of women have discovered or suspected that their partner was cheating via Facebook. If this result is evaluated and compared to the previous piece of data, which showed that 75% of women have their partner’s Facebook passwords, it can be inferred that because women have access to their partner’s Facebook account, they are more likely to discover or to develop a suspicion that their partner is cheating through Facebook.

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Analysis of the Findings: The purpose of the study was to examine whether there is a correlation between the exposure of jealousy-provoking information on Facebook and its negative impact on a person’s intimate relationship in the offline environment. The findings clearly reflected that Facebook does in fact generate jealousy among its users. Thus it was also important to understand and analyze why people like using Facebook so much, regardless of the negative feelings it might provoke in them. Based on the understanding that people have the need to belong, to feel love and appreciation from others, and that Facebook is a medium where these needs can be fulfilled, the collected data was analyzed from a psychological perspective. The researcher used the qualitative research method to analyze the findings using theories from sociopsychologists and psychologists.

Why are people drawn to Facebook?

People are drawn to Facebook by the way it facilitates communication and social interaction. Harry Stack Sullivan, an American psychiatrist, characterized loneliness as the most painful of human experiences. There is no question that humans need to interact with others because they are primarily social beings. The need to interact with others is crucial to people’s survival and mental health. Facebook provides people with interactive tools to socialize, network, and interact with others. Thus there can be no doubt as to why Facebook has become the social network sensation of the twenty-first century.

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Why do people use Facebook?

People use Facebook to fulfill their need to belong. In the middle of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid, we find the need for love and belonging. For individuals, being part of a group (family, friendship, society, etc...) is of extreme importance for the development of selfactualization and reinforcement of self-esteem. According to Maslow, in the book “A Theory of Human Motivation” (1943), feeling loved and having a sense of belonging are necessary for individuals to be able to achieve their full potential.

Facebook is a medium people use to portray themselves. Facebook has a system of feedback in which people can comment on other people and express their likes and dislikes.

Facebook allows its users to create and portray their “ideal-self.” According to Carl Rogers, an American psychologist, the “ideal-self” is what a person would like to be (Rogers, 1951). People like using Facebook because it allows them to portray themselves as the person they would like to be. This fact is reflected in the study’s finding that men reported being single in their relationship status when in reality they were either married or in a serious relationship. This may indicate that men wish to be single and available to initiate other relationships.

This finding can also be better understood by comparing it with the observational study conducted by Boesch, C. and Boesch, H. called “The Chimpanzee in the Tai Forest” (2000), which suggests that women identify more with dyadic (one-on-one) relationships whereas men more often define themselves within the context of a larger group. Men in this study preferred to

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identify as single in their relationship status (even when they actually were married or in a serious relationship) in order to feel themselves part of a larger group most likely because most men in their age group (20 to 35) are single.

This statement is also supported by a statistical report made by DataGenetics named “All The Single Ladies...� in which a graph indicates that between the ages 20 and 35, the majority of male US Facebook users are single, compared to females, among whom the percentage is smaller.

http://www.datagenetics.com/blog/november32010/

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Judging from women’s responses within the questionnaire, the results reflect that women find their worries about their partner’s Facebook activities are soothed by having their partner’s Facebook passwords. Thus the researcher concludes that women are less likely to suffer from Facebook-related jealousy because they are most likely to have their partner’s Facebook password, which lowers their anxiety levels; worries disappear when they have the option of checking on their partner’s and confirm whether something is in fact going on. However, most women reported not checking on their partner often, leading us to infer that getting their partner’s Facebook passwords is mainly a symbolic move.

In addition, the researcher can also infer that by sharing their passwords couples show their commitment to partnership and an “unconditional positive regard” towards their partner.

Thus sharing their passwords seems to increase couples’ levels of trust, which can be understood in terms of Carl Rogers’ theory of “unconditional positive regard.” Carl Rogers talks about the importance of receiving “unconditional positive regard” on the development of a healthy level of self-esteem and how this is linked to reduced anxiety (Rogers, 1959). It is no secret that anxiety can be dangerously toxic to a person’s mental health. According to Rogers, levels of anxiety are reduced when expectations are met (Rogers, 1959). It seems that women expect to have their partner’s Facebook password, and having this expectation met increases their level of trust in the relationship and decreases their anxiety.

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Having the partner’s Facebook password as a pre-requisite of trust and commitment can be seen as a violation of the other person’s right to privacy in the relationship. In order to deeper analyze and further understand the effects of and motives for having the partner’s Facebook password in a relationship, the researcher examined Allport’s theory of “The Functional Autonomy of Motives.” In an article under that title, the American psychologist Gordon Allport talks about the distinction between motives and drives. He explains that a drive forms as a reaction to a motive, and “functional autonomy” occurs when the drive becomes independent of the original motive (Allport, 1937). Applied to the findings of this research study, the suspicion that the partner is cheating on Facebook is the motive that generates the drive to check on their partner’s activities.

The reason people request their partner’s private password is to have the ability to freely check on their partner whenever they desire to, or feel suspicious about some activity. But when having the password is used as an assurance or symbolic act of trust and partnership, then the drive to have the password becomes separate from the motive to have the “functional autonomy” needed to maintain low levels of anxiety, high levels of trust, and low levels of jealousy, regardless of the suspicion which was the original motive.

Based on the analysis above, we can presume that people see a strong need to connect, socialize, and interact with others, and therefore use Facebook to assuage this need. In addition, as in the world offline, the online environment can potentially generate negative emotions such as feelings of anxiety, insecurity, low self-esteem, and jealousy, which can destabilize a person’s mental health and cause a negative impact on a person’s social and family life.

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Chapter V: Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations

Summary:

This pluralistic research study focused on investigating the sociopsychological effects of Facebook on people’s intimate relationships. The purpose of the study was to measure the possible correlation between the exposure of jealousy-provoking information on Facebook and its negative impact on a person’s intimate relationship in the offline environment. The investigation consisted in questioning people who had experienced jealousy or had ended their relationships because of inappropriate interaction they had found their partners engaging in on Facebook. Four subjects were asked to voluntarily and anonymously complete a questionnaire about their frequency of Facebook use, relationship status, experiences with jealousy, and activities engaged in on Facebook. Of the subjects interviewed, two were women and two were men, all active Facebook users.

This study was a pluralistic research project. Data were gathered and the data’s content then analyzed. This study used quantitative measurements to numerically illustrate how many of the subjects involved had responded to a certain question; thus correlations could be made and the strength of causal links could be tested. Qualitative research was also used to measure and analyze the data. The qualitative method was appropriate for interpreting our data because jealousy cannot be measured in numbers. By combining both types of research, the researcher was able to use the quantitative data to increase the validity of the qualitative data.

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The hypothesis was that Facebook-related activity increases jealousy among intimate partners, and acts as a contributing factor in the termination of intimate relationships. The research study showed that Facebook-related activities do generate jealousy, but are not to blame for the termination of intimate relationships. Significant differences were found between men and women, how they behave when using Facebook, and what Facebook activities they consider to be jealousy-provoking.

The results reflected that Facebook-related activities do increase jealousy among intimate partners, but Facebook is not to be blamed for the termination of intimate relationships. Thus there was no correlation between experiencing Facebook-related jealousy and the termination of one’s relationship. The data was analyzed from a psychological perspective and the conclusion reached that people are drawn to Facebook by the opportunity to fulfill their need for socializing and interacting with others. People have the need to belong, to feel love and appreciation from others, and Facebook is a medium where these needs can be fulfilled. Because Facebook facilitates doing so, people often portray their “ideal-self” on Facebook instead of their “realself”.

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Conclusions:

In this research study it was found that men often lie about their relationship status on Facebook, yet they find it important for their partners to have their real-life relationship status reflected accurately on the network. The findings also concluded that women were more consistent when reporting their real-life relationship status on Facebook, and demanded the same from their partners.

A higher percentage of women reported feeling a deep sense of trust in their partners compared to men. Because of their lack of trust, men seem to become jealous more easily than women. Levels of jealousy differ by gender: men are more likely to feel jealous if their partner adds a friend on Facebook, adds an ex as friend, posts a message on the wall of someone of the opposite sex, posts a picture with an ex, and/or posts a sexually provocative picture. Women are mainly jealous if a partner does not provide them with his Facebook password, or if this partner posts a picture with an ex. Women want unlimited access to their partner’s Facebook accounts in order to be able to trust them. Women like to have the partner’s Facebook password but they would only check on the partner’s activity if suspicious about it. None the less, it can be concluded that, in Facebook as in the general social environment, men become jealous more easily than women.

There is a strong correlation between being jealous about a partner’s Facebook activities and not having the partner’s Facebook password. Women are less jealous about their partners’

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Facebook activities and this is also directly correlated to having total access to their partners’ Facebook accounts (via Facebook password). In addition, there is a strong positive correlation between level of trust and having the partner’s Facebook password. In other words, the higher the level of trust, the more likely a woman is to have her partner’s Facebook password and the less likely it is that she will be jealous about her partner’s Facebook activities.

Most people do not view Facebook as a threat to their relationship. Though people overwhelmingly agreed that Facebook does facilitate cheating, they also asserted that Facebook was not to blame for the termination of a relationship.

Humans are drawn to Facebook to fulfill their need to socialize, network, and interact with others. People have the need to belong, to feel love and appreciation from others; and Facebook is a medium where these needs can be fulfilled. Because Facebook facilitates presenting an idealized version of oneself, often times people portrait their “ideal-self” on Facebook instead of their real self.

Facebook-related activities do increase jealousy among intimate partners. Nonetheless, based on the findings of our research, Facebook is not to blame for the termination of people’s intimate relationships. In other words, the researcher found that there was no correlation between experiencing Facebook-related jealousy and the termination of a couple’s relationship.

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Recommendations:

The following recommendations are offered for future research:

1. Control for the age group between 25 and 40 in order to give a more accurate account of the experience of Facebook-related jealousy in serious relationships.

2. Have a larger group of subjects in order for results to be more generalizable.

3. Be more specific when formulating the questionnaires by defining being “worried” or being “upset” and replacing those questions with specific situations or actions in order to help better determine whether feelings of jealousy are present.

4. Control for the following groups, possibly: only college students or only working professionals.

5. Account for sexual preference: control for subjects who are heterosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual.

6. Control for marital status: subjects who are married, subjects who are dating, subjects who are single.

7. Interview other ethnic groups besides Hispanics.

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Appendix •

(A) Consent to participate in research questionnaire.

•

(B) Questionnaire Section I: Demographic

•

(C) Questionnaire Section II: Facebook Usage

•

(D) Questionnaire Section III: Experience of Jealousy

Appendix A Consent to Participate in Research Questionnaire

Date: ______________________

Dear Participant: You are invited to participate in a research study, entitled “FACEBOOK: The Ultimate Exterminator of Relationships.” The study is being conducted by Vianni Gomez, Master of Science in Human Services Degree Candidate of The Boricua College, Bronx Campus.

The purpose of this research study is to examine the effects of social media on a person’s mental health and self-esteem. Your participation in the study will contribute to a better understanding of the effects of cybernetic interactions on human social relationships. You must be at least 18 years old to participate.

To participate in the study, simply complete the attached questionnaire. The questionnaire will take approximately fifteen minutes of your time. Please answer all questions as honestly as possible. There will be no compensation for participating in the study.

Your participation in this study is voluntary, strictly confidential, and anonymous. Neither your name nor personal contact information will be collected or used in the study. You may decline to answer any question and you have the right to withdraw from participation at any time.

Withdrawal will not affect your relationship with the researcher in anyway.

If you have any questions about the study or need to update your email address contact the researcher Vianni Gomez at (347) 355-6156 or send an email to ZAH1334@hotmail.com.

Thank you,

Vianni Gomez Candidate, Master of Science in Human Services Degree

By signing this letter at the bottom of the page, you acknowledge: receipt of the information above; that you understand that your answers to the questionnaire are confidential and anonymous; and that you are giving your full voluntary consent to participate.

______________________________ Participant’s Consent

________________________ Date

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Appendix B Questionnaire Section I: Demographic

The following questions will be used for demographic data collection. Please answer all questions as honestly as possible. *Do you have a Facebook account? ________YES

________NO

1. What is your gender? (Circle one) A. Male B. Female

2. What is your age? (Circle one) A. Under 20 years B. 20-26 years C. 27-33 years D. 34-40 years E. Older than 40 years

3. What is your current relationship status? (Not Facebook status) (Circle one) A. Seriously dating another person B. Casually dating one or more partners C. In an open relationship D. Married 41

E. Divorce/separated F. Single

4. What is your current relationship status on Facebook? (Circle on) A. Single B. In a relationship C. Engaged D. Married E. It’s complicated F. In an open relationship G. Widowed H. Separated I. Divorced

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Appendix C Questionnaire Section II: Facebook Use The following questions will be used to collect data on Facebook use. Please answer all questions as honestly as possible.

1. On average, how many times a day do you log onto Facebook? (Circle one) A. One time B. 1-3 times C. 3-6 times D. 6-9 times E. 9-12 times F. 12 times or more

2. On average, how many hours a day do you spend “face-booking�? For example: Checking out others peoples pages, writing on walls, Facebook chatting, using applications etc. (Circle one) A. Under 1 hour B. 1-2 hours C. 2-3 hours D. 3-4 hours E. 5 hours or more

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3. You have a deep trust in your partner. (Circle one) A. Strongly disagree B. Disagree C. Agree D. Strongly agree E. I don’t have a partner

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Appendix D Questionnaire Section III: Experience of Jealousy

The following questions will be used for the collection and evaluation of data concerning the experience of jealousy. Please answer all questions as honestly as possible.

Please answer yes or no to the following set of questions: 1. Would you be upset if your partner did not post an accurate relationship status on Facebook?

Yes ________

No _________

2. Have you ever become jealous after seeing that your partner added an unknown member of the opposite sex as a friend on Facebook?

Yes ________

No _________

3. Have you ever become jealous or uncomfortable after seeing that your partner posted a message on the wall of someone of the opposite sex?

Yes ________

No _________

4. Would you be jealous if your partner posts pictures of him or herself with a previous romantic or sexual partner?

Yes ________

No _________

5. Do you have your intimate significant other’s Facebook password?

Yes ________

No _________

6. Have you ever felt uncomfortable with your partner receiving a personal gift from someone of the opposite sex?

Yes ________

No _________ 45

7. Would you be upset if your intimate significant other did not provide you with their Facebook password?

Yes ________

No _________

8. Would you be upset if your partner limited your access to his or her profile?

Yes ________

No _________

9. Do you worry that your partner will become romantically involved with someone on Facebook?

Yes ________

No _________

10. Would you feel jealous if your partner posted pictures of him or herself that were sexually provocative?

Yes ________

No _________

11. Do you suspect that your partner is secretly developing an intimate relationship with someone on Facebook?

Yes ________

No _________

13. Do you worry that your partner is using Facebook to initiate relationships with members of the opposite sex?

Yes ________

No _________

14. Would you be concerned that someone else on Facebook is attracted to your partner?

Yes ________

No _________

15. Have you ever had a fight with your partner about Facebook?

Yes ________

No _________

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16. Do you worry that your partner is using Facebook to reconnect with past romantic or sexual partners?

Yes ________

No _________

17. Have you ever experienced jealousy related to Facebook?

Yes ________

No _________

18. Have you ended an intimate relationship because you suspected your partner was cheating on you through Facebook?

Yes ________

No _________

19. Have you ended an intimate relationship because you discovered you partner was cheating on you through Facebook?

Yes ________

No _________

20. Do you believe Facebook facilitates cheating?

Yes ________

No _________

21. Would you blame Facebook for the termination of your intimate relationship?

Yes ________

No _________

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