The Influence of Social Networking Site (SNS) Usage on Conflict in Intimate Relationships

The purpose of this study is to examine the differences and compare relationship conflict between Snapchat and Instagram related jealous behaviors in romantic partners. One hundred thirty-four Psychology 101 students at Boise State University completed a self-report survey. Snapchat use was expected to cause significantly more relationship conflict compared to Instagram use. Individuals reported significantly more mate-guarding behaviors and fear of partner leaving using Snapchat versus Instagram, whereas there was no significant difference in spying behaviors between the two SNS. The majority of past research examining the effects of social networking sites (SNS) on romantic relationships has been focused largely on Facebook-related social media use. Current college students prefer Instagram and Snapchat over Facebook as means of SNS communication (Pew Research Center, 2019), thus introducing the need for studies focusing on these two SNS. Our findings support previous research that SNS use can introduce conflict into romantic relationships and that using Snapchat can introduce increased jealousy-related behaviors, more so than using Instagram