By: Ramiyah Lee (Senn Sophomore)
Senn High School students were asked to share their opinions on if social media affects their standards for relationships.
According to a poll by Piper Sandler, an investment bank that holds teen surveys, 35% of teens say that Snapchat is their favorite social media app and 30% say TikTok is their favorite. TikTok and Snapchat are communication and information hubs that bring a new aspect to the dating world.
Claudia Panait, Senn student, said, “Most of what goes on on social media is just like texts that go back and forth. So there’s, really no, face to face, social interaction between a lot of people, and I feel like that really just changes the overall just social aspect of teen relationships.”
Many students that were asked made similar comments about communication only being digital and how the connection gets lost.
“I feel like [we] should be face to face, and [be] just as genuine as possible,” said Panait.
Other students said that social media sets unrealistic expectations for relationships.
“A lot of couples will post themselves having fun with each other,” said sophomore, Nina Mellits, “and showing that they care about each other, but, usually, it’s not realistic and that can affect someone who’s our age and a relationship because they want to strive to be you know that fun couple that does everything. But that’s not really realistic. So some people will try to strive for it but it just doesn’t work out. So then they get disappointed.”
Senn student Seth Ramirez bounced off that idea and said, “Everybody sees everything on the internet and they think [it] is perfect and then, especially with all the comments there are and especially because of TikTok.”
A lot of the kids being asked this question brought up the point about “perfectionism” and being performative. Social media creates a space where only the heightened versions of things are shown whether it be positive or negative.
“Nowadays people think that toxic is good and fun way to keep up a relationship, but I feel like that’s not what it’s all about and [they] don’t really value [what] they have in the relationship because they want what is shown on social media,” said Senn sophomore Ana Campos.
“People get ‘bored’ of their relationships because of the standards that people have put on social media and they don’t even go by what they feel anymore. I feel like a lot of people expect a lot nowadays,” she said.
