Would you be friends with your partner on social media?

The social media helps us to create friendships, reunite with old friends and create relationships. But there have been concerns as to whether it is necessary to think twice before accepting a friend request from your ‘better half’. So Lifextra went asking if there was anything wrong with being friends with your partner on social […]

The social media helps us to create friendships, reunite with old friends and create relationships. But there have been concerns as to whether it is necessary to think twice before accepting a friend request from your ‘better half’.

So Lifextra went asking if there was anything wrong with being friends with your partner on social media. The responses were as interesting as they were diverse.

Ààre Vincent Olúsolá Arógbòdó, a politician, married with kids, told LifeXtra that “Adding my spouse on social media should never be a thing of debate. I keep telling people that social media is same as life itself. I have no secret; my social media pages reveal all my activities. My belief in life is that whatever one cannot be proud to let others see should not be done at all.

“It will prove that I have nothing to hide. Marriage instills morality. No spouse would love to get caught in the web of a shameful act by his partner. Your wife’s presence online will keep you on your toes on what to share and it helps build you morally,” he added.

Abduljalil Umar, mass communication graduate, said “Why will I add my spouse on facebook? Her presence online will make me be on my guard and avoid lewd, derogatory and clandestine tactics usually associated with facebook.”

Princess Ajunwa Chiamaka Blessing, a professional dancer, said it depended on the circumstances. “I won’t add him on social media. Reason is because I would love my private life and space.”

Concurring with Ajunwa, Adewoye O. Johnson noted “There is virtually no amount of trust you can have in your spouse.” Citing a personal experience, he said, “I blocked my woman when the monitoring was too disturbing. If a lady likes my picture, it would become a problem at home. So, I blocked her.”

Jummai Austin, an Abuja-based PhD student, is of the opinion that being friends with your partner on social media has advantages. She told LifeXtra that one of such advantages is that it helps with long distance relationships.

“Chances are that they even met online before taking their relationship to the next level. So because they are either dating or engaged doesn’t mean they would stop being friends online. The social media would also help them to keep in touch regularly.”

In the article “Don’t Follow or Friend the Person You’re Dating on Social Media”, Giulia Simolo describes it as ‘a knee-jerk reaction’. Stating why one cannot be friends with his/her spouse on social media, it added “It’s really easy to take things out of context on social media, like if your partner and a friend have a childish conversation in the comments section of an Instagram post. You might worry that he’s a man-child; meanwhile, it was a one-off and not a reflection of his daily character.”

Simolo added “Everyone needs space sometimes and social media might be the perfect way to achieve some. It’s healthy to have something that’s only yours and refreshing to have a space online where you’re free to say whatever you want without worrying about what your partner will think or how he might misunderstand it.”