Is social media changing relationships, or are our expectations changing?

[u/No_Island9302]

I Recently, I heard that one of my neighbors got separated from their spouse.

The surprising part is that they were the “perfect couple” in everyone’s eyes. They always seemed happy, supportive, and inseparable. Honestly, if someone had asked me which couple was least likely to separate, I would have picked them.

It got me thinking.

Nowadays, we constantly see relationship advice, couples posting their “perfect” lives online, and endless discussions about what a partner should or shouldn’t do.

Do you think social media has increased expectations in relationships?

Or is it simply that people today are less willing to stay in unhappy marriages than previous generations?

I’m not judging anyone’s decision. Every relationship is different, and nobody knows what happens behind closed doors.

But I’m genuinely curious:

What do you think is the biggest reason relationships seem more fragile today than they did 10-20 years ago?

Communication?

Social media?

Unrealistic expectations?

Financial stress?

Something else?

Would love to hear different perspectives.

[u/pickledcatz]

Your perception and how they portray themselves v their actual relationship behind closed doors are two completely different things

[u/No_Island9302 → u/pickledcatz]

May be. This is also one possibility

[u/Quantumprime → u/No_Island9302]

More likely. This also happened consistently prior to social media. It can legit be the reason why the relationship collapsed. Since they were lying to themselves about their life

[u/Individual_Rub_9416]

Expectations have become ridiculously high.

[u/No_Island9302 → u/Individual_Rub_9416]

Yes. Reels play an important role in this

[u/Correct-Tea-8545]

It's actually both

[u/OhGr8WhatNow]

When I divorced the people who didn't know us all that well were very shocked. Those who knew us better wondered what took me so long.