Social media has made it possible for people to find partners and go on dates much easier than before.
It has helped couples separated by time zones stay connected despite the distance.
Despite these benefits, social media can also be a cause of breakups as well.
Since it’s a largely public space, it’s easier than ever to catch your significant other when things aren’t going well.
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You might find them flirting with strangers in the comments, or see them tagged in a recent photo with their ex.
These are red flags that could be a real reason for a breakup.
Here are 12 things to watch out for to help you protect your relationship, especially yourself.
- They do not accept your online connection
Maybe you work in the same building or next to each other.
And you’ve been seeing each other for some time.
On the surface, everything seems fine.
Maybe you were so immersed in daily interactions that you never noticed that they didn’t follow you back on Instagram or add you as a friend on Facebook.
It’s certainly strange, especially in today’s social media-mad world, that they haven’t done these things yet.
It’s something that seems harmless, but they won’t do it.
This can raise a small red flag, meaning they are not planning to keep the relationship for long.
- I’ve seen them make flirtatious comments to others
You’re scrolling through your timeline until suddenly something catches your eye. It’s theirs. They posted a flirtatious comment…in response to someone you don’t even know.
They didn’t stop to think about how others would catch them doing it.
This is a clear red sign that your significant other may not be as committed as you think.
Flirting with another person is behavior that cannot be tolerated in healthy relationships.
This can help you decide to break up with them and remove yourself from the relationship.
- They don’t post information about your relationship
Understandably, some people don’t want to share things about their lives. Everyone has the right to their privacy, and you respect that.
But what bothers you is the fact that they rarely post anything about you.
It can get much worse when they post almost anything else — their food, their new clothes, places they’ve traveled, friends they’ve met — but not you.
Maybe you’ve already posted about them or even changed your relationship status.
But they didn’t do that.
This could be a sign that they don’t want your face on their profile for a long time, or they’re not as committed as you think.
- You find out they took a trip without telling you
I asked them if they wanted to eat dinner somewhere but they said they were too busy.
Being a respectful partner, you understand them and support them as much as you can.
But after a few minutes, you see a photo that one of their friends shared online: It’s your significant other somewhere that’s not their office, having a good time with people you haven’t met.
They went behind your back. Getting caught like this can be worrying.
They didn’t want to be honest with you, so they hid that information from you.
Keeping secrets in any relationship can turn into a bad thing.
- They are always on their phones
When you’re on a date, it doesn’t feel as romantic as it should.
the reason?
Well, it might be because your significant other is facing down and staring at his phone most of the time.
You’re having lunch and see them scrolling social media.
There is a beautiful sunset in front of you, but they never notice it.
This may not just mean they love social media; It may mean they are addicted to it.
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This can be a clear red flag that means you’re not even their priority; Their attention is being placed elsewhere.
- They are constantly looking for attention online
While you enjoy seeing selfies of them, sometimes you may feel like they’re posting too much about themselves.
They post selfies of themselves doing the most ordinary things, posing and posing in almost the same positions every time.
It might eventually get embarrassing with the number of personal photo albums they’ve posted.
This can be a subtle and not-so-subtle way to attract attention.
This could be a red flag because they don’t see validation from you as enough for them, so they look for likes instead.
What might make it even more questionable is when they constantly post pictures of themselves donating to charities and helping others.
While it may be nice to encourage others to do the same, you can’t help but feel like they’re bragging about how nice they are – even though you know they usually aren’t.
- They post suspicious photos
After a night out with their friends, you might see their photos online in the morning.
You’re scrolling through the photos, enjoying how ridiculous they are, until something drops in your heart: It’s a photo of them with their ex.
And they didn’t tell you anything about that.
This is an obvious red flag; They didn’t tell you that on purpose for one reason or another.
If they say they don’t even remember what happened, that could be even more cause for suspicion.
- They refuse to add your friends and family
Social media offers another opportunity to meet their families in the digital age: communicating with them online.
But the problem is that they don’t want to, even though they have already met them.
This may not be the biggest deal breaker, but it may also make you doubt how committed they are to you.
They may not want to be online if or when they eventually stop with you.
- Their offline and online behaviors are inconsistent
They constantly share inspiring posters and videos. They spread positive affirmations focused on being happier and living a better life.
Although you may like these things, there is a problem: in real life, they are quite pessimistic, or even aggressive.
You know that’s not like them to be so positive. They are inauthentic and lie to people.
If they don’t see this as a problem, that’s a red flag.
Their relaxed attitude towards casually lying to people online could lead to some bad things in your relationship in the future.
- They openly support figures they disagree with
When you go on dates, you can connect with them on deeper levels.
There is no one I have met who you can have such meaningful conversations with.
It’s a refreshing feeling and you are so grateful to have them in your life.
But then you scroll through what they shared and it doesn’t make you happy.
They may have shared a post supporting a presidential candidate you strongly disagree with.
Or they constantly share controversial and radical content that completely contradicts your political or religious beliefs.
These are the major red flags you should be aware of. They may not be someone you want to become romantically or even platonic with.
- They follow many sexual accounts
Now that you’ve committed yourself to each other, there’s an unspoken expectation that no one will look at other attractive people anymore.
You are so immersed in them that others simply do not compare with their appearance and personality.
You’d hope they’d think the same way — until you accidentally look over their shoulder and see what’s on their phone: photos of naked models doing sexy poses.
Maybe they follow more porn accounts.
While expressing your sexual orientation can have its benefits in any relationship, it can also make you feel uncomfortable and insecure about yourself.
It’s a clear red flag that they may be more sexually active than you thought.
It can get worse if their phone background is a hot model too.
- They have a secret account
You may have found out from a friend or peeked into their laptop or phone that they have an account…that doesn’t have their name on it.
At first, it may be strange to you; It can be confusing.
But what he may be is an account he is hiding from you.
This may seem like they are living a double life, keeping secrets, and talking to different people under different names.
This is one of the most obvious red flags to watch out for.
- Dealing with red flags
When you catch these red flags, it can be heartbreaking.
The most important step is to be honest with your significant other.
Bring it up with them, and frankly express your concerns about it.
It might be easy to hurl a string of insults at them, but that might not solve anything.
Instead, be honest and civil.
Try not to be too aggressive as they may deny their behavior more.
If you can’t talk about it, or if you’ve completely lost trust in them, it may be time to break up to save yourself from a potentially toxic relationship.
