Digital Jealousy: The Downside of Social Networking Services. An Empirical Study.

Numerous negative and dysfunctional aspects are associated with social networking, ranging from data abuse to addiction. Recently, another phenomenon has been observed: the jealousy in couple relationships, resulting from the use of social networks. The following study with N = 214 participants analyses, whether jealousy in social networks is a separate phenomenon and which factors could explain the digital jealousy. Multiple regression analyses show that the dispositional jealousy plays a significant role. Marginal variance components could be explained with relational factors, such as the trust in the partner, and personality factors as the emotional stability (neuroticism). The results are discussed in the light of previous findings and their utility in practice is shown.