How does prolonged exposure to idealized virtual partners affect real-world relationship satisfaction?
One common practice among many people is using social media platforms for dating and forming relationships. This can be seen as a way to satisfy their need for companionship, friendship, and romance.
There are some who choose to spend more time interacting with virtual partners than real ones. These individuals create an ideal image of their online partner based on their interactions with them. They form intense emotional bonds that could lead to feelings of attachment and eventually result in long-term commitments. This paper will explore how this prolonged exposure impacts real-world relationship satisfaction.
The concept of idealization is when someone believes another person has qualities they admire and wishes to possess themselves. It is often associated with unrealistic expectations about the other person's character, behavior, and appearance. In most cases, it is considered healthy because it helps one feel better about themselves while also providing comfort and joy.
Things get complicated when idealization turns into obsession or addiction. Idealization becomes problematic when it prevents the individual from having meaningful and fulfilling relationships with those around them.
Virtual relationships have become increasingly popular due to the rise of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc. People create fake profiles with false information and engage in flirting and sexual conversations without revealing their true identity. Sometimes, these relationships develop into something more serious where both parties exchange personal details like names, phone numbers, addresses, and meet up. When the relationship ends, it can lead to severe psychological problems, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and even suicidal thoughts.
Real-world relationships require hard work and compromise to maintain intimacy, trust, and communication. Both partners must be willing to put effort into making things work by communicating openly and honestly. This means being vulnerable enough to share fears, hopes, dreams, insecurities, and desires without judgment or criticism. Virtual relationships are easier because there is no face-to-face interaction, body language, facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice, touch, or smell. All interactions happen through text messages, emojis, stickers, memes, videos, images, and audio clips. The absence of these aspects makes it difficult for people to form strong emotional bonds that could lead to healthy real-world relationships.
The prolonged exposure to idealized virtual partners has a significant impact on real-world relationship satisfaction. Firstly, it can cause disillusionment when the person realizes that they are not getting what they expected from the other person in real life.
Someone might have been chatting online with someone who seemed perfect but later discovers that they do not share similar values, interests, or goals. Secondly, it leads to comparison between the two relationships. The person may feel inferior due to their physical appearance, financial status, career achievements, social network, lifestyle choices, etc., compared to their virtual partner's success story. Thirdly, it causes an over-reliance on technology which affects interpersonal skills such as listening actively, expressing feelings verbally, reading body language, responding appropriately, giving support, providing comfort, initiating intimacy, etc. Lastly, it creates unrealistic expectations about romantic relationships, leading to disappointments, heartbreaks, and resentment when things don't work out as planned.
Prolonged exposure to idealized virtual partners affects real-world relationship satisfaction by causing disillusionment, comparisons, technological dependence, and unrealistic expectations. It is crucial for individuals to take time off from social media platforms and focus on building meaningful connections in the real world where they can experience genuine interactions and develop deeper levels of intimacy. They should seek professional help if necessary to overcome addiction, obsession, or depression resulting from virtual relationships.
How does prolonged exposure to idealized virtual partners affect real-world relationship satisfaction?
It is not uncommon for people to engage in virtual relationships that are idealistic and idealized, where they may find themselves desiring what their virtual partner has rather than accepting them as they are. This type of relationship can negatively impact real-world relationship satisfaction by creating false expectations about potential partners and making it difficult to appreciate what one already has.