The Impact of Multiple Social Media Platform Use on Relationship Satisfaction and Uncertainty Among Romantic Partners at a Midwestern University

Guided by the Media Multiplexity Theory to examine the relationship of multiple social media use with relationship satisfaction and uncertainty among romantic partners. A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2024 and March 2025 at a medium-sized Midwestern University with 190 students using online Qualtrics. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to identify the predictors of satisfaction and uncertainty. p -value less than .05 was considered significant. The study found that neither platform quantity nor communication frequency significantly predicted satisfaction or reduced uncertainty. Instead, uncertainty emerged as a negative predictor of satisfaction (β = –.55, p < .001), and a marginal positive association between platform diversity and uncertainty (B = 0.07, p = .08). Education and college years were also associated with variations in satisfaction and uncertainty. These findings highlight the central role of relational certainty in maintaining satisfying romantic relationships.