Question from Sarah J.: I’ve been really annoyed by the amount of relationship pictures showing up on my News Feed – all I see are photos of couples kissing or cuddling! Where does social media draw the line on public displays of affection (PDA)? How much relationship sharing is too much?
Answers from Our Love Experts:
Tristan Coopersmith, Love Stylist: Social media is a weird space. It’s a space that encourages us to be friends with strangers, over-share personal details and solicit opinions and validation from random people… all things we clearly know not to do in real life. Social media is desperate for those unspoken rules of “too much information” that the real world instinctively knows. So how much skin, how much gush, how much intimate sharing is too much?
Well, in my opinion, although showing your affection for your loved one is sweet, and friends and family do enjoy seeing how blissful you are, quantity and quality should be considered. When it comes to quantity, one post a day maximum should do it. Your friends and family have other stuff they are interested in beyond the inside jokes between you and your sweetheart. When it comes to quality, follow the rule that, if there is a slight chance your viewers would tell you to “get a virtual room,” your online PDA is too much. This means no tongue kissing, no cleavage, etc. If not for the sanity of your followers and their over-cluttered feeds than for the sake of your relationship’s pure need to have private boundaries, remember that less is more!
Suzanne Oshima, Matchmaker: You will always come across couples on social media who share way too much information about their relationship because they want the world to know about their happiness together and love for each other. But the good news is that you don’t have to see it if you don’t want to. With social media, you can always hide their news feeds or unfriend/unfollow the couples who annoy you.
Now, while that will solve your problem, I think the more important question here is: why does it really bother you so much? Is it because you’re jealous you’re not in a relationship too? If that’s the case, then I wouldn’t focus so much on the couples sharing annoying photos. I highly suggest you start working on getting out there and meeting the right person for you. Then, you can become a couple on social media who doesn’t share too much information.
Paige Wyatt, Reality Star:Â When it comes to PDA, there is a very thin line between cute and sweet and just plain nauseating. The quick smooch or cuddling pictures are pretty tolerable when they’re only posted every now and then, but I think the constant full-on make-out photos are where I draw the line. Some people don’t know social media etiquette, and that’s when they tend to post the uncomfortable status updates and pictures. One thing to consider: think about exactly who is looking at what your posting – like your boss, teacher or even mother dearest.
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