One day my friend made the mistake of looking through her boyfriend’s phone. He left up a conversation with a girl she didn’t know and she thought it was weird, but decided not to speak up about what she found.
A few months down the road he left her for that girl. She told me she wished she had said something when she saw the messages so she could have dumped him before he cheated on her.
Facebook and text messaging have made it easy to notice suspicious behavior in a relationship.
Too many people have left their computers and phones out in the open only to be called out on their inappropriate messages to other people.
Most people reading this have experienced some form of cheating. Maybe you have been involved personally or you might have known someone affected by infidelity.
Researchers from University of Washington found that 20 percent of men and 15 percent of women under age 35 have been unfaithful in a relationship. Both are up since the early ‘90s.
Has cheating really increased or has it become easier to get caught?
Cheating has always been going on. From King Henry VIII to Tiger Woods, prominent people have always been known to stray.
However, while the rich and famous had to worry about the tabloids, normal people didn’t have to try as hard to cover their tracks.
However, because Facebook and other social media sites keep people so interconnected, more cheaters are being exposed.
We even find out through social networking we are being cheated on.
I know a girl who received a Twitter message from a random woman telling her about how her boyfriend was dating both of them at the same time.
According to a survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 20 percent of divorces involve Facebook.
Partners use social media as evidence of their spouse’s infidelity.
The website facebookcheating.com has given people a place to tell their stories about how they caught their significant other with someone else.
Not only have chances of getting caught increased, just finding someone to have an affair with is even easier because of the web.
In 2002, the website ashleymadison.com was created for people to escape their relationship and have an affair.
Today, the site has over 8,790,000 members looking to cheat on their significant other. According to their website, they get a new member every 15 seconds.
Whether you are having an emotional or physical affair, more than likely you will get caught. People can tell when something is off about the way you are behaving.
Technology is reshaping the way relationships are run. I hope that cheating never becomes socially acceptable, but more and more people get caught straying every day.
Next time you want to cheat on someone, do him or her a favor and just end it.
Tell Lindsey how you found out you were cheated on at lindsey.kupfer@asu.edu
