Romantic relationship dissolution on social networking sites: Self-Presentation and public accounts of breakups on Facebook

Abstract

Social media users post an endless stream of life updates, commentary, and other content. This online self-presentation constitutes a narrative that can be examined as a shared account. In this study, we tested the applicability of Duck’s model of relational dissolution (Duck, 1982; Rollie & Duck, 2006) to participants’ personal and public accounts of their romantic breakups on social networking sites (also referred to as social network sites). We adopted mixed methods (content analysis, survey, and interview) to examine emerging adults’ ( N = 97) account-making during romantic relationship dissolution and the role of social media, specifically Facebook, in the process. Over 3500 posts and comments from before and after users’ breakups were quantitatively and qualitatively content analyzed. Synthesizing these three data sources revealed patterns regarding users’ selective self-presentation in masspersonal channels. Their dissolution accounts were shaped by perceptions of Facebook’s social affordances, such as the visibility and persistence of posts, comments, and relational artifacts; social feedback (e.g., comments and “likes” from the online social network, usually for social support); conversational control (e.g., blocking and defriending); and network association, which created a diverse imagined audience and context collapse. Findings suggest that some of Duck’s relational dissolution model manifests on social media, particularly social, gravedressing, and resurrection processes. Users consider and capitalize on perceived affordances of computer-mediated communication channels to construct, curate, or avoid public accounts of their breakups. Our study also provides a methodological framework for investigating user experiences and selective self-presentation on social media over time synthesizing quantitative and qualitative methods.

Unfriended during adolescence: Correlates of continued contact with former friends in school and online

“…In romantic relationships, greater distress following a breakup is associated with more online monitoring (Fox & Tokunaga, 2015). Recent research on romantic relationships also discusses important signals that can be conveyed via social media following a breakup, including changing profile pictures (Fox et al, 2021). This study also demonstrated a pattern of participants engaging in different types of aggression toward their former partner on social media (e.g., “subtweeting” and sharing songs and media that would be painful for their former partner to hear) or allowing their friends to engage in such aggression on their behalf (Fox et al, 2021).…”

“…Recent research on romantic relationships also discusses important signals that can be conveyed via social media following a breakup, including changing profile pictures (Fox et al, 2021). This study also demonstrated a pattern of participants engaging in different types of aggression toward their former partner on social media (e.g., “subtweeting” and sharing songs and media that would be painful for their former partner to hear) or allowing their friends to engage in such aggression on their behalf (Fox et al, 2021). While this study focused on a sample of adult romantic partners following the breakup of a romantic relationship, similar signals and behaviors may be undertaken by former friends in adolescence, leading to more distress following a friendship breakup.…”

Explicating a comprehensive model of post-dissolution distress

“…Decisions about relational curation (i.e., keeping/deleting posted media about the relationship; LeFebvre, Brody, & Blackburn, 2020) and amount of online interaction may also be motivated by desired future romantic or sexual contact (Banas et al, 2021). Indeed, in today’s landscape, a vast majority of contact between ex-partners (interaction such as texting or viewing the other’s social media) and even the process of breaking up might be via technology (Brody et al, 2020; Fox et al, 2021; Koessler et al, 2019; McDaniel et al, 2021).…”

Introduction to the special issue on communication technologies and relationships

“…Three articles are especially centered around theories or theoretical concepts: Sharabi and Hopkins’ (2021) investment model analysis of Instagram posts, Alexopoulos’ (2021) study of infidelity in terms of dissonance, and Fox et al’s (2021) study of breakups. Sharabi and Hopkins’ as well as Alexopoulos’ studies illustrate how well-established viewpoints can be extended to contribute to our understanding of additional phenomena.…”

“…Sharabi and Hopkins’ as well as Alexopoulos’ studies illustrate how well-established viewpoints can be extended to contribute to our understanding of additional phenomena. Fox et al (2021), using Facebook posts, survey, and interview data, considered the applicability of Duck’s model of relationship dissolution (Duck, 1982; Rollie & Duck, 2006). The resulting picture is a rich one.…”