Many people are comparing their own relationships with the romantic videos, intimate moments, and expensive gifts they see on social media. Content like this creates expectations of extra attention from a partner, special arrangements, and cinematic romantic gestures. When those expectations go unmet, disappointment, sulking, and friction can follow.
According to a report by the Indian outlet India Today, relationship-themed reels circulating on social media are shaping modern love and dating. These videos offer easy solutions to relationship problems in a very short time. But real-life relationships are not always so simple.
A recent survey by the Indian dating app QuackQuack gathered the views of more than 10,000 people aged 22 to 38. Participants included people dating in both big cities and smaller towns. The survey found that many people begin to reassess their own relationships after seeing relationship advice on social media. Yet advice given in a single video may not apply equally to every relationship.
Should a relationship be judged by viral advice?
On social media, you often see statements such as “If your partner truly loves you, they’ll do everything on their own,” or “What’s the point of a relationship if you don’t get princess treatment?”
After watching such videos, some people expect the same behavior from their partners. When those expectations aren’t met, sulking or arguments begin.
The survey analyzed responses from 4,694 participants over the age of 25. Many of them feel that problems arise when the same set of relationship rules is applied to every couple.
For example, if someone wants to spend some time alone after work, that is not always a sign of emotional distance. In the survey, 60% of the men disagreed with that notion. Meanwhile, 38% of participants said that a partner who cannot arrange a grand date should not automatically be considered less caring.
Ravi Mittal, founder and CEO of the dating app QuackQuack, said that real-life circumstances and mutual understanding matter in a relationship.
He said it is not right to apply every piece of advice found on social media blindly to one’s own relationship. Not calling someone can sometimes be a sign of neglect, but it isn’t in every case.
There Are Good Lessons to Be Learned from Social Media, Too
However, the survey participants do not call the influence of social media entirely negative. Forty-eight percent of participants believe the influence of social media on relationships cannot be completely denied.
About 27% of women in their thirties said that this kind of content sometimes helps them understand certain aspects of relationships in a new way. In the survey, four out of every ten people said they had learned about personal boundaries, or about their own needs in a relationship, by watching other people’s relationship content.
Comparing Your Relationship with Other People’s Curated Moments
Many of the relationship moments seen on social media are deliberately staged. Multiple takes, special arrangements, and carefully selected photos go into creating a picture-perfect romantic scene. Viewers know these are not the full picture of any relationship. Even so, many people compare their own relationships with those moments.
In the survey, 3,347 participants said they understand that only selected moments of relationships are shown online, yet they still compare their own relationships to them.
Akriti from Bengaluru, a survey participant, said that trends on social media such as lavish marriage proposals, surprise gifts, and dreamlike couple photos can make an ordinary relationship feel like a failure.
Taking inspiration from others is fine, she said, but when it turns into comparison, even the small expressions of love in a relationship lose their value.
Before expecting the same behavior from a partner after seeing someone else’s romance on social media, it is important to understand your own needs. Does the relationship need more time, clearer communication, or reassurance?
You can try to work that out through open conversation with your partner. After all, it is not the staged moments of other people’s relationships but mutual understanding and real needs that help a relationship move forward.