The Double Standards Social Media rewards and the Cost to Relationships

Social media criticizes promiscuous women or women who have had multiple men, but at the same time, it glorifies them.

One side shames them.

The other side promotes, consumes, and funds the very behavior it claims to hate.

The same culture that points fingers is the same culture fueling the demand.

Critics resort to name calling to boost their own self esteem.

However, genuine people make a positive impact by educating others about the potential risks in this environment.

It is easy to attack individuals.

It is harder to talk about the mindset behind it.

First, you must be aware.

Money and sex are dopamine driven, which is why they are addictive.

They create quick hits of pleasure and validation.

They are fast.

They are stimulating.

And they are easily monetized.

That is exactly why they are pushed so heavily.

But integrity, character, loyalty, commitment, and love do not give the same dopamine response.

They require hard work and often sacrifice in the beginning.

Sometimes it can even feel like you are going backwards while everyone else looks like they are winning.

Those qualities are long term investments.

They take time to develop.

They require discipline.

They require self control.

They require doing without.

They do not give instant gratification.

And that is the part people forget.

We live in a society that rewards and encourages easy quick gratification that comes with dopamine and addictions.

At the same time, it punishes and mocks people who want integrity and loyalty.

The people willing to sacrifice.

The people willing to delay gratification.

The people willing to build something real.

To develop strong character, you have to do without certain pleasures.

To build loyalty, you have to turn down options. T

o protect integrity, you have to walk away from shortcuts.

To build a lasting relationship, you have to choose discipline over impulse.

That is not glamorous. It is not viral. It is not exciting in the moment.

But it is powerful over time.

Beauty and money are disposable and easily attacked from the outside, leaving those who build their identity on them insecure and fragile.

Lasting relationships are dying because they involve loyalty, integrity, love, empathy, selflessness, dedication, and hard work.

If we trade these qualities for quick dopamine hits, can we really be surprised when we sabotage our relationships in the real world?

You cannot get rich from being online, and anyone who tries to convince you otherwise does not have your best interest at heart.

Is social media affecting your relationship?

This does not have to be your reality.

If you feel the tension, the comparison, the insecurity, or the distance growing in your relationship because of what you are consuming online, there is another way.