CoupleSpark is a social media site that allows couples to post a conflict that they’re struggling to move beyond and put the issue to a vote among the CouplesSpark community. Supposedly, the service allows couples who may not be able to afford relational therapy a way to work out their difficulties, but I wonder at the effectiveness of airing one’s dirty laundry to the public, as it were.
In a perfect world, this community could lend some helpful benefits to a quarreling couple, saving their relationship and yielding a happier, more vibrant couples experience for the partners in question. However, as I crawled the site exploring conflicts, it seems like the site lends itself more to hateful criticisms and public aspersion supported by the volume of “thumbs-up” you receive for your point of view on the dispute, which would in turn lead to further angst.
I also wonder as to the nature of users this type of site attracts. I’m sure there are a large number of individuals who are truly interested in the site for the thrill of taking an active role in helping another couple, but I’m also sure that there’s a conflicting demographic whose fascination with the service has little to do with being a nonpartisan party in a time of need.
Would you ever consider crowdsourcing your relational disputes?
