Social Media: A New Haven for Cheaters, but a New Way to Catch Them, Too
There's now a new way to cheat without being caught. With the month of love officially closing in on the much-awaited Valentine's Day, couples should be wary of a new phenomenon that's taking the digital scene by storm.
According to Digital Trends, a new study has come out stating that a third of cheaters-or 67%-have used social media as a way to get away with adultery. This comes from a stud of 2,400 Americans who have all participated in cheating.
And their argument for discretion? The 67% would often use a fake identity and account on social media networks including Facebook. This may appear to be a bold act given Facebook's wide scope, but it only means that their account is something their partners have no idea about.
For the most part, these fake accounts would be used to post their status as "single" and find people whom they can have a potential secret affair with.
"Unfortunately, the Internet lends itself to secret behaviours," said relationship author Logan Levkoff to Daily News. As such, social media seems like a way to find new encounters and possibly pursue them as well.
However, the research also adds that given the extent of reach of social media-and with the advent of blending real-time activities and social online connections-it won't be too long before your partner catches up to you.
This is the reason why the 67% of respondents of the study also admitted to the fact that their partners have also discovered their online affairs. As they often say, if there's a will, there's a way. This goes for the cheaters, but it can also be a driving force for their respective partners in digging for the truth.
Catching the cheating cheater
When your partner uses a fake account, it can be hard to trace it, especially if you don't know what kind of name he'll use. However, for those who use their real identities, there is a way to see if he's straying from the path of fidelity.
Use Facebook's location tracking apps
Recently, Facebook has been developing tracking apps, where users can see where their friends are. Since most users have their accounts linked to their phones, you can actually track your contacts-even when they have turned their phones off.
Facebook may be crossing the boundaries of privacy for some users, but this doesn't mean you can't use it to your advantage when you need it most.
Check start-up or little used social networking websites
Facebook and Twitter may be the worse sites to take your cheating to the digital level, considering how many users and connections there are. But according to the blog Don't Date Him Girl, there are social networks like Tagged.com and myyearbook.com, little know website where millions of members actually make up the community.
Other websites like these include Bebo and Meetup, where people with common interests tend to find each other-the first stage for getting to know someone.
Use social media monitoring tools
Another good tip form Don't Date Him Girl is the use of social media monitoring sites, such as Trackur.com or SocialMention.com. While this requires you to type in his name-hence it won't work if he uses a fake one-if he is not using an alias, you will get to learn what he's been talking about on the Web.