HUR SOCIALA MEDIER UPPFATTAS AV INDIVIDER I PARRELATIONER OCH KAN BIDRA TILL KÄNSLOR AV NÄRHET, TILLIT OCH SVARTSJUKA. En kvalitativ studie om upplevelsen av sociala medier och deras funktioner i romantiska relationer

Abstract

Social media is now a central part of young adults' everyday lives and plays an increasingly important role in how romantic relationships are formed, maintained, and interpreted. This study examines how individuals in romantic relationships experience social media and features such as location sharing, read receipts, and online status, and how these relate to feelings of closeness, trust, jealousy, and control. In a society characterized by constant connectivity and increased digital visibility, the study aims to deepen our understanding of how technical features on social media interact with emotional and relational processes. The study was conducted using a qualitative method which is based on ten semistructured interviews. The selection was made strategically to obtain a variety of experiences, while ensuring that the participants shared similar life situations and high use of social media. The empirical material was analyzed using thematic analysis and interpreted based on theories of digitally mediated intimacy, from Nancy Baym's perspective on digital relationships and Joseph Walther's Social Information Processing Theory (SIPT). The results show that social media is largely included in the participants' everyday lives and visible in their relationships. Many respondents describe how digital communication contributes to increased closeness through continuous contact and sharing of everyday events. At the same time, it appears that this closeness is often more significant in the early stages of a relationship, while the need for constant digital communication tends to decrease in more stable relationships. When it comes to trust, a more complex picture emerges. Most respondents feel that trust is primarily built through long-term communication and shared experiences. Features such as location sharing are perceived to create a sense of security and confirmation, while for others they risk reinforcing suspicion and making it more difficult to let go of worries. The study also shows that digital visibility and access to incomplete information can contribute to jealousy and controlling behavior. In summary, our study shows that social media is perceived as an everyday part of romantic relationships. It serves as an arena where closeness, trust, jealousy, and control are continuously experienced.