The Impact of Social Media Consumption on Marital Relationships among Married Couples in Karachi

Abstract

Social media has become a part of everyday life, which has changed the way people communicate and interact in marital relationships. The impact of social media has been explored on couples in western societies, however, not much has been researched on this topic in the socio-cultural context of Karachi, Pakistan. The present study aims to venture into addressing this gap and examine the role of social media usage on communication, trust, emotional intimacy, conflict and marital satisfaction among married couples in Karachi. The qualitative phenomenological approach was used to hear the lived experiences of the participants. The data were gathered using semi-structured in-depth interviews with 50 married couples (100 interviewees) drawn through convenience sampling and then analysed using the thematic analysis method of Braun and Clarke (2006). Six themes emerged from the findings: communication and connectivity, trust issues and online surveillance, jealous feelings and overuse of social media, lowered emotional availability and in-person communication, marital tension, and setting boundaries online. The findings suggest that the use of social media has a dual effect on marital relations. It can help communication and emotional bonding, but can also lead to mistrust, jealousy, emotional disconnection and relationship issues when used too often or to excess. Those who set boundaries and discussed social media in the relationship felt they had happier relationships. The study brings context-specific information about digital communication and marital relationships to the discussion and holds practical implications for family counselors, researchers, and married people in today's digital societies.