Investigating the impact of social media and technology on trust in young adult relationships

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the perceived impact that social media and technology are having on the trust between young adult couples in a relationship. It primarily investigated young adults between the ages of 18-25 years of age; however, other age groups were included for comparative results. A quantitative approach was applied and a convenience sample of 293 participants was recruited to answer an online questionnaire shared on social media. Crosstabulations and Chi Square tests were used to determine the significance between variables. This study found that age and relationship status influence the level of trust or mistrust in one’s partner due to social media. Results also indicated that the lack of trust in one’s partner can lead to numerous snooping behaviours. However, the sharing of mobile phone and social media passwords between partners was not found to encourage prying and mistrustful behaviour. No significant results were found between the gender of participants and the impact of technology on trust. The results of this study are discussed in the light of previous research carried out in this area. The limitations of this study are discussed and recommendations for future research are proposed.