Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Συγκρούσεις και ΕπικοινωνίαLibrary of the Faculties of Political Science and Public Administration, Communication and Mass Media Studies, Turkish and Modern Asian Studies, Sociology
Supervisors info:
Μπετίνα Ντάβου, Καθηγήτρια. Τμήμα Επικοινωνίας και Μέσων Μαζικής Ενημέρωσης. ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Η χρήση του Facebook από νεαρά ζευγάρια: έλεγχος, ζήλια και συγκρούσεις
Translated title:
Facebook use by young couples: surveillance behavior, jealousy, and conflicts
Summary:
Facebook use and self-representation by the romantic partner is a constant subject of discussion and discomfort for young couple today. The literature so far has dealt with the subject “Facebook and relationships” and especially “Facebook and romantic jealousy”, rather superficially, as it examines only younger ages with quantitative methods. This dissertation attempts to shed light on this issue by exploring how Facebook use by young couples can have an influence on the relationship, causing jealousy, surveillance behavior, and conflicts, by examining the experience of Facebook users, as they narrated them in indepth interviews. The main findings are that Facebook can create a vicious circle of monitoring one’s partner and discovering – real or non-real – relational violations that can wear down the individual and damage the relationship. On the one hand, the Facebook user is more likely to witness a partner's contact with former or new romantic rivals, which can cause jealousy and tension. On the other hand, this type of contact constitutes mediated communication, which is by definition incomplete and ambiguous and the individual can misinterpret the partner's behavior as a romantic "opening" outside their relationship. However, it was observed that participants who felt insecure in the relationship and jealous were more likely to be involved in such behaviors, meaning that Facebook seems to be able to amplify existing problems in the relationships and personal weaknesses. If the partners feel secure and trust each other, then Facebook can be a new and interesting platform for communication and connection.
Main subject category:
Social, Political and Economic sciences
Other subject categories:
Philosophy - Psychology
Keywords:
romantic relationships, Facebook, social media, social networking, mediated communication, jealousy, surveillance
Number of references:
118
