The tendency to exchange passwords by couples is yet another trend seen among many youngsters.
Raul RK, 17, opines, “Girls are extremely dubious and keep nagging and fussing to their boyfriends about petty things, such as sharing passwords. So, for the sake of trust and to avoid breakups, we’re compelled to give our passwords to them.”[break]
Likewise, 16-year-old Sameer Katwal says, “My girlfriend and I exchanged our Facebook password but we don’t log on to each other’s account. We have strong mutual trust.”
Perhaps it is like a symbol of trust for Sameer and his girlfriend. But on the other hand, this kind of commitment may lead to temptation to stalk one’s partner, creating hindrances to the relationships. It can be argued that these pairs do so in order to keep a check on their partner out of doubts and suspicions.
“My boyfriend and I use each other’s email and facebook but we’ve never misused each other’s profile. Although sometimes I feel that he simply wants to keep track of my virtual activities because he doesn’t trust me completely,” shares Pooja Karki, 18.
Sometimes, one may get obsessed with stalking one’s partner to such an extent that the other partner’s social image is hampered, thus ultimately making their relationship fragile with unwanted misunderstanding and quarrels.
Samana Pokhrel, 18, recalls, “When I shared my facebook password with my boyfriend, I didn’t open his account but he exploited my trust. He would often talk to my school friends and enquire them about my past. Later, those friends of mine would question me about the conversation that they supposed I had with them. I was naive and shocked to acknowledge my boyfriend’s behavior. It definitely hindered our relationship and we broke up soon after that incident.”
Similarly, some youngsters simply want to keep checking on their loved ones.
“I just wanted to stalk my girlfriend’s activities, so I asked for her password. But she gave it to me only on the condition that I too share my password with her. So I had to do so. However, I don’t know if she uses my account or not,” says Pranay Rai, 17.
Things don’t always turn out heartbreaking, as it is for Aastha Maskey, 19. She smiles while she shares, “I and my boyfriend often bluff with each other’s friends by disguising ourselves through each other’s accounts and later we tell them the truth. We have fun doing that. I think it’s okay to share passwords, as in times of emergency we just ring each other up and get our work done. I even spare myself of waiting for my pictures to upload on Facebook; my boyfriend does it for me.”
The sweet infatuation is not serious or continues in most cases. Therefore, it is just a matter of amusement for young lovers who often fail to understand the security issues of sharing passwords.
Pradeep Shah, 18, seems to be more mature compared to others in his age group. “I want to give my girlfriend her privacy and I do trust her. I don’t want my private matters to be securitized and I feel she should also be given the same. Of course, I do trust her but sharing password is definitely not the way to express one’s love or trust,” he says.
Goings by the happenings, many young people are sharing passwords. That is sharing privacy with their significant other and seem to be comfortable with it.
But at the same time, it can be out of doubts and often results in misunderstandings that ultimately affects the relationship.
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