Influence of Social Media on the Marital Relationships of Young Middle-class Couples in Kilimani Division, Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Social media is a term that refers to internet based platforms that connect people and give them the opportunity to reach out to each other and share information online using smartphones, computers (Cambridge Dictionary); it can be either verbal, non-verbal, video, or picture mode. Social media can also be defined as a community. Social media platforms such as Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat amongst others have become very common features in our everyday lives. Social media is now part of most households lives with figures showing that globally on average people spend at least 144 minutes on Social Media daily. Many who have access to social media which according to statistics was around 49 percent of the global population have turned it into a medium of communication due to its affordability, reliability, eases of access, friendly nature among other factors; and not using it is almost unavoidable. Data in this study was mainly collected using questionnaires with contained close ended questions. Interviews were also carried out and they helped provide supplementary information. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data which was then summarized using tables and graphs. It was discovered that more women than men were using Social Media and they exceeded men by 22 percent where in addition it was seen that the women spent at least two hours daily as compared to men. WhatsApp was found to be the most commonly used Social Media site with a 100 percent usage followed by Facebook and twitter. The research also discovered that most of the respondents use the SMNs for socialising with their families and friends followed by entertainment with each at 44 percent and 40 percent respectively. Most couples however indicated that Social Media was taking a toll on their marriages with more than half of the respondents saying that the use of SM had led to an increase in suspicion and jealousy with their spouses. In conclusion it was evident that the use of Social Media was having more of a negative than positive influence on the marriages of young middle-class couples and it is recommended that the usage if these Social Media sites should be regulated amongst the couples themselves and that they should instead focus on using Social Media platforms to bring them closer to each other and in strengthening their relationships for example through more communication with each other.