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Is That a Like or a Betrayal? The 15 New Rules of Digital Faithfulness in 2025

Updated on November 2, 2025 by TMM Staff ยท Dating & Confidence

A middle-aged man and woman taking a selfie outdoors.
ยฉCurated Lifestyle/Unsplash.com

The definition of cheating was pretty cut and dry in the past. However, the very interpretation of the act has changed in 2025, where even a small tap can translate to infidelity. The definition of loyalty has changed with the passage of time. Some might even say that it has evolved along with the way people cross boundaries. Digital behavior has also been brought under scrutiny, and even the smallest act, like messaging someone to catch up or liking a photo, can be construed as cheating. The digital field has become an arena where couples now battle it out on topics that they consider to be a breach of trust and intimacy. Most of the time, people end up breaking this trust inadvertently. Read on and learn about what breaking digital trust is like in the present times.

Table of Contents

Toggle
  • Liking a Picture
  • Replies at Late Night
  • The Private Joke DM
  • Keeping Conversations Secret
  • The Comment Section
  • Keeping Track of Every Story
  • The Guise of Professional Interaction
  • The Backup Plan
  • Private Stories
  • Sharing Memes
  • The Online Comparison
  • Following Certain Accounts
  • Keeping Excessively Private Accounts
  • Going Through Old Messages
  • The Photos with Complicated Histories
  • Final Thoughts

Liking a Picture

A close-up of a smartphone screen showing social media icons and a text reading "2,614 likes."
ยฉBrett Jordan/Unsplash.com

You know you are going to be in hot water if you end up liking a picture of your ex or when you get a like or comment in return. Female coworkers are also observed with suspicion, and every small act can appear like it is unbecoming and breaches trust in a relationship. The mere act of liking a picture might seem mundane to you, but it hits your partner like a ton of bricks. They see this as you showing interest in a person that’s not them, and that really irks them.

Replies at Late Night

A person is sitting in a dark room, covered with a blanket, looking at a glowing smartphone held in their hands.
ยฉDipqi Ghozali/Unsplash.com

Timing matters a lot when it comes to the digital realm. Your partner is sure to see you replying to someone at 1 pm at night. This shows that you are more emotionally invested in someone else than they are, and that can shake even the strongest of individuals.

The Private Joke DM

Your partner is going to see you messaging someone with a private and inside joke as a sign that you are keeping a secret relationship. Some jokes are personal and meant to be kept between partners. Texting it to someone else exhibits a lack of commitment to your partner and they might construe it as such.
A smiling woman sits up in an all-white bed, texting on her smartphone while a man sleeps next to her.

Keeping Conversations Secret

Your partner is bound to raise those eyebrows in suspicion when you start keeping chats private, deleting chats, muting messages, or even keeping locks on apps. This might be innocuous but it is the act of hiding that really messes with your partner's faith.
A smiling young woman on a couch looking at her smartphone, with a man working on a laptop in the blurred background.

The Comment Section

An overhead shot of a couple in bed, both looking at their smartphones, with the man looking suspiciously at the woman's phone.

Keeping Track of Every Story

A young woman sitting hunched over, looking down at a smartphone in her hand.
ยฉAlexander Grey/Unsplash.com

It can be evocative of a quiet obsession when a person starts constantly watching their ex’s, or a certain individual’s stories and not missing even a single one. This certainly doesn’t sit well with the current partner in the equation, who is surely going to become anxious and suspicious.

The Guise of Professional Interaction

A focused young man in a yellow sweater and glasses, sitting at a desk, looking down at and using his smartphone with a laptop nearby.
ยฉVitaly Gariev/Unsplash.com

You might be flirting with a coworker for all your partner knows and camouflaging it under the shroud of professional interaction. You might just be exhibiting that you are coworkers on the digital plane, but your partner is surely not going to see it that way.

The Backup Plan

A smiling woman is lying on her stomach in bed, looking at her smartphone, while a man lies behind her in the background.
ยฉGetty Images/Unsplash.com

If you are still following someone you used to date on their social media accounts, then it shows a lack of commitment in the relationship. Your partner views this as an aspiration to get back together with your ex or simply keeping the door open. This is because they suspect you might get together again if things don’t work out.

Private Stories

A surprised-looking man leans over a woman, who is lying on her side, to look at her smartphone while they are in bed.
ยฉGetty Images/Unsplash.com

It might seem like clean, harmless fun when you post thirst traps or seductive messages on a list of your “close friends.” But it will still mess up things with your partner, as they believe, and rightly so, that this is a move reserved only for them and is supposed to be personal. Sharing these comments with others means that your relationship isn’t as strong as they thought it was.

Sharing Memes

A man wearing a denim shirt, white t-shirt, and wireless earbuds is smiling and laughing while holding a yellow smartphone outdoors.
ยฉGetty Images/Unsplash.com

Sharing memes with someone extensively might not seem like a big deal, but it will still ruffle your partner’s feathers significantly. That is because it signals to them that you aren’t invested enough in the relationship and are seeking emotional connection somewhere else. You might be sharing these memes for laughs, but your partner sees it as a violation of trust.

The Online Comparison

A woman and a man are sitting in bed, both looking at their smartphones and glancing suspiciously at each other.
ยฉGetty Images/Unsplash.com

You are setting unfair comparisons when you comment about how awesome, attractive, or funny another person or couple looks online. This comparison can mortify and depress your partner, as they never expected or asked for such treatment.

Following Certain Accounts

A close-up of a person's hand pointing at the screen of a smartphone lying on a desk, with an open laptop in the background.
ยฉMelyna Valle/Unsplash.com

Some people are constantly chasing likes from specific accounts. They do this just to be able to feel seen. This is emotional outsourcing, not just normal, mundane digital behavior.

Keeping Excessively Private Accounts

A close-up of a smartphone screen showing a Facebook profile lock setting with a large lock icon and the button "Lock Profile" on a blue background.
ยฉSmartupworld Websolutions/Unsplash.com

Your partner is going to feel like something is amiss or rotten when they can’t see your followers, comments, or activity online. This lack of openness and transparency is regarded as a sign of mistrust by your partner, and they will most definitely treat it like a red flag.

Going Through Old Messages

An over-the-shoulder shot of a person with blonde hair, looking down at and tapping on a smartphone screen on a brightly lit table.
ยฉMiquel Parera/Unsplash.com

Your partner sees it as an inability to let go of emotional ties when you constantly rifle through your ex’s older messages in your apps. You can make whatever justifications but they will never land the mark with your partner.

The Photos with Complicated Histories

A close-up of a couple holding two smartphones showing a photo of themselves kissing, with the couple kissing in the blurred background.
ยฉJD Chow/Unsplash.com

You might post photos with a person from your past who you claim to be just friends with currently. However, this complicated history doesn’t leave much leeway for your partner to speculate. They are going to be on their guard and be rightfully suspicious.

Final Thoughts

A close-up of a person's hands holding a silver smartphone and texting.
ยฉA.C./Unsplash.com

Loyalty is something irreplaceable in this modern world. Cheating and infidelity are unforgivable acts that can readily erode trust in a relationship. That is why you should strive to eschew any act that can bring unwanted suspicion into your relationship. Be mindful of your conduct online, as it can make or break your emotional bond with your partner.

Dating & Confidence

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About TMM Staff

The Modest Man staff writers are experts in men's lifestyle who love teaching guys how to live their best lives.

If an article is published under TMM Staff, that means multiple writers worked on it. For example, sometimes several of us have experience with a certain brand, so we collaborate to publish a more thorough review.

Or, if an article was originally written by one person, but then it was updated by someone else, we'll re-publish it under TMM Staff.

Remember: all of our articles (including those below) are written by real people with decades of combined experience in men's fashion and lifestyle topics.

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