"Social network sites are used more frequently by those in long-distance relationships," said Brenda K. Wiederhold from the Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California, and the Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium.
"As long-distance relationships become more common, and continue to succeed, it becomes increasingly valuable to understand the role that technology plays in strengthening or damaging a romantic relationship," she explained.
The findings showed that social networking sites such as Facebook play an important role in maintaining relationships when individuals are involved in a geographically long-distance romantic relationship.
For the study, co-authors Cherrie Joy Billedo, Peter Kerkhof, and Catrin Finkenauer from the VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the University of the Philippines, described differences in the intensity of use and the types of uses of social network sites between the close-by verses long-distance relationship groups.
They reported how the use of social networking sites allows individuals to access information about their romantic partners, and monitor their activities.
"This can be used to gauge a partner's involvement in the relationship and loyalty, with potentially positive or detrimental effects," the authors wrote.
The study was published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking.
Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.
Redmi Note 15 Series India Launch Timeline Tipped; Redmi 15C Could Debut This Month