Can Posting Be a Catalyst for Dating Violence? Social Media Behaviors and Physical Interactions

Although Social Media (SM) can fuel jealousy between romantic partners, by providing a convenient and socially acceptable means of monitoring one another's online behavior, little has been written about the possible role of SM in Dating Violence (DV). We examine whether and how SM behaviors fuel victimization during physical interactions. In addition, we consider whether and how one's partner in a physical relationship attempts to manipulate his or her SM behaviors. We carried out parallel questionnaires using the Dating Violence Questionnaire, using both the unaltered version of the instrument as well as one in which questions were adapted to the SM setting (e.g., “Has your partner beaten you as a consequence of something you said or did on SM?”). Participants ( n = 144), were equally selected from both genders, in a counterbalanced experimental design. We assigned half of the participants ( n = 72) to the Control group, who were administered the unaltered instrument, and half to the Social Media group. Similar rates of Dating Violence were reported by both groups. Respondents in the Social Media group reported experiencing physical, sexual and psychological violence, because of something said or done on Social Media. We also found that physical interactions between the romantic partners affect and alter SM behaviors; SM spaces were often monitored by one's partner, and altered in response to the partner's demands. Overall, those involved in stable relationships were less likely to have experienced victimization, with men reporting more victimization when compared with women. To conclude, up to 76% of respondents experienced some form of DV and up to 83% of respondents experienced some form of manipulation related to their SM use, demonstrating the significance of this phenomenon in the lives of today's youth.