Positive & Negative Impacts of Relationships in Media
By Catie Ward
February 16, 2026Relationships shape both our personal lives and our culture. The way relationships are portrayed in the media secretly influence how we understand love, conflict, power, and connection. By exploring both positive and negative impacts of relationships in the media, we can better understand how storytelling shapes our values and choices.
Positive Impacts:
- Embracing long-distance relationships- Being able to communicate through the phone visually and emotionally
- Expansion of immediate circle- Allows more diverse relationships and friendships
- Maintain strong relationships through constant connection
Negative Impacts:
- Unrealistic portrayal of relationships: Looking into the lives of others can lead to comparison in your own relationship and create false expectations
- Body image: The views of edited images can affect how you view your physical appearance, causing future self-esteem issues
- Jealousy and surveillance: Misinterpreting comments or connections with others may spark feelings of distrust, leading to your partner monitoring online activities
- Miscommunication: Because social media is not face to face, there is an absence of non-verbal cues such as tone, body language, and facial expressions and innocent messages can be misconstrued
It is important to understand that what you see on social media is not always real or trustworthy. For example, if you scroll through Instagram, watch TikTok reels, or even the shows/movies you watch we are constantly given false expectations of what a relationship should be like. Videos on social media are only so long, therefore when the camera turns off we as the audience do not know what their relationship is like. People in the media tend to focus on portraying the good moments in their life and not always the bad ones.
We are here to support you, if you or someone you care about is experiencing dating violence you can always reach out for support. Resources exist 24/7 to help you stay safe. Relationships in the media can inspire or mislead — but we have the power to separate fantasy from reality and choose what we want to model in our own lives.
Safe Haven Hotline: 419-289-8085
Safe Haven Text Line: 419-517-2535
