Interpersonal surveillance over social network sites: Applying a theory of negative relational maintenance and the investment model

Surveillance has long been used as a way to guard against dangers lurking in one's immediate environment. Humans have carried over this evolutionarily adaptive solution to the maintenance of their interpersonal relationships. The landscape of relational surveillance has dramatically changed with the inception of Internet platforms, such as social networking sites. The goal of this investigation is to understand the motives of online surveillance in romantic relationships. Patterns of negative relational maintenance behaviors and the investment model were used to predict relational determinants of surveillance over social networking sites. A cross-sectional survey design was employed to collect data from college student and nonstudent adult populations. The results find that indicators of low-quality relationships, such as low satisfaction, are associated with online surveillance. Interpersonal surveillance over social networking sites is in turn related to larger amounts of time spent on romantic partners' profile pages.