Throughout the school hallways and across social media platforms, whispers can be heard discussing the next biggest gossip. One topic that is commonly gossiped about are romantic relationships. This may seem harmless, but it is actually an invasion of privacy.

With rising media usage and consumption, individuals have become too involved with the content and occasions happening online, even those of strangers.

Someone’s public and private life become intertwined on social media platforms. People tend to post or share details about their partners online for family, friends and other loved ones to see with the intention that they can show off their amazing relationships to others. Yet this narrative is especially damaging as it places an extensive focus on the private life of an individual.

Social media messes with privacy; details shared are never truly gone from the public as people can save, screenshot or access it after it was posted or even deleted. While sharing details about your relationship can be sweet, the way people are doing it is questionable.

Content creators such as TikTokers and Youtubers share details about their personal lives for the interest of their viewers, which can make for entertaining content. However, ultimately the details shared online no longer only belong to the person who has shared it, but now to the public as well.

Sharing intimate or private issues about romantic relationships causes tension. Once people are afforded the luxury of private details about an individual’s life they have the ability to pass that knowledge onto others. Details shared to seem relatable or to “fit in” may just result in sharing private traits, experiences or actions between a partner in a relationship. This can make partners feel a lack of respect for the intimacy shared with the other partner and undervalued in a relationship.

Keeping a relationship private also allows for little public opinion to shape how an individual acts or views their relationship. An example of this can be seen in the relationship of singer Taylor Swift with her boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn. The couple in the duration of their relationship kept it private with relatively few instances of either Swift or Alwyn together in public or talking about their relationship in detail with media sources.

This allowed them to relish their relationship without public opinion and criticism despite the tough patches of their relationship. Recently, it was made aware by the media that Swift and Alwyn had broken up as it was announced in an April 8 article published on Entertainment Today. Yet, because they were able to maintain privacy between themselves it has allowed both Alwyn and Swift to address the situation amongst themselves before being made public.

If the relationship was not kept private the split may have occurred earlier as fans spiral and news blogs and tabloids try to peer into their relationship for the next sensational headline.

In the digital age, where it becomes increasingly more difficult to separate life from media, keeping relationships private is vital. It is necessary that individuals focus on their personal lives instead of the small details of others’ lives.