We've all had at least one instance of someone snooping through our phone. It could be when you're looking at something on your phone and a stranger keeps staring at it too or someone you know could be prying through things on your phone. Needless to say, it's rather annoying and can really have an adverse effect on relationships. However, researchers have now found that relationships can still survive snooping.
A study was conducted on 102 people who were asked if they have snooped through someone's phones or if someone has snooped through theirs and what events led up to the snooping. They were then asked what happened to their relationship with that person after the snooping was exposed. While some participants said that their relationships had ended, others said their relationships continued on.
“In cases where the relationship ended, it was either because the phone owner felt their trust was betrayed or the relationship was also experiencing difficulties. Another main reason was the relationship was not that strong or important, to begin with, as was the case with two work friends where one stole valuable contact information from the other’s cellphone,” said study author Ivan Beschastnikh.
"If the relationship survived, it was because the friendship was mostly solid and the victim considered it important enough to overlook the offence", Beschastnikh said. "In such cases, the victim explained away the snooping by considering it as a sign that they should reassure their romantic partner about their commitment to the relationship. They ended up excusing the behaviour and, in some cases, continued to give the other person access to their phone,” he said.
“The fact that people snoop is widely known, but we know much less about exactly why they do what they do, and about the eventual impact on their relationships,” said Beschastnikh. “This study contributes new insights to that discussion straight from those who have experienced snooping, and hopefully prompts more research down the line,” added Beschastnikh.
“It all comes down to who you allow to use your phone, whether you trust them or they trust you, and what the parameters for your relationship with them are,” said co-author Beznosov. “Given that partners, kids, friends, and colleagues can easily observe or guess your PIN and other types of passcodes, you can restrict access to your phone with biometric identification, which is available on most phones and hard to circumvent,” added Beznosove.
Well, ultimately the choice rests in your hand. If you can get over someone snooping through your phone then that’s good enough. And if not, you can always use the above mentioned methods to ensure that no one goes through your phone again and certainly not without your permission. Stay tuned for more updates.
