Many people consider cheating as the ultimate breach of trust in a relationship. Be it a stolen Kiss in the Office or a steamy tryst in a hotel room with an old flame. However in the digital era, social media infidelity goes beyond being physically Faithfull.

The advent of social media presented people with new avenues to connect with people.  With over 227 million active Twitter users and 1.23 billion Facebook users, the potential number of people that one can connect with is enormous.

Online communication however also seems to be presenting seemingly endless opportunities for social media infidelity. People have been having intimate affairs on social networking sites consequently leading to relationship issues, divorces and marriage failures.

Plans to hook up, flirty messages and sending intimate photos, these social media habits are now classified as cases of outright infidelity. Divorce lawyers have now been using social media networking data as evidence in their cases.

The allure of social media infidelity can be attributed to the instant gratification of online access, online disinhibition and the illusion of secrecy. This makes us susceptible to rapid emotional reactions without the time to consider the repercussions of our behavior. Many at times, we don’t realize that we’ve gone too far until it’s too late.

Many people assume faultless personas, buy into the whole fantasy of social media interaction and get into online affairs without considering the long term consequences. Quite often, these virtual relationships take on a real form that creates a parallel in the real world that people have their spouses.

Surprisingly though, most people don’t realize when engaging in online cheating. They are usually so caught up in the excitement of connecting with new people and end up crossing irrevocable relationship lines with their spouses. If you happen to be one of those doubtful of their digital dalliances, this is how you can tell you are guilty of social media infidelity

 Posting Flirty photos

When you start posting flirtatious photos right after someone you think is attractive starts following you make you guilty of social media infidelity. Posting photos on your social media pages for the purpose of tempting someone other than your significant other, that’s a huge red flag.

Using Fake contact names

Renaming contacts in your phone or only communicating with people using fake names online, makes you seem like you’ve got something to hide. A faithful spouse doesn’t have to hide who they are talking to.

Status stalking

One is allowed to occasionally peek into other peoples’ lives through their social media statuses to see how they are Faring on. However if you find yourself constantly looking for updates and new photos, you’re minimizing the time you could spend with your partner which is a slippery slope toward infidelity.

Following People because you think they are attractive

Following someone on a social media platform, say, Instagram solely because you think they’re  attractive is not an innocent move. Once you choose to follow or friend a stranger for their looks alone, that’s you admitting your attraction to them and trying to connect on that premise which can be considered social media infidelity.

Confiding on your online “friend”

Relationship gurus say that Intimacy extends far beyond the physical. If you find yourself  always confiding in someone other than your spouse (online “friend”) and leaning on them for emotional support, you might be guilty of social media infidelity.

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