Virtual displays of affection an online turn-off: study

New data reveals that virtual displays of affection are the ultimate romantic faux pas of the Internet social media age

Soppy lovebirds who take to Twitter and Facebook to announce their love are a big turn-off for 50% of users of the social networking sites, a new UK study has found.

New data revealed that virtual displays of affection are the ultimate romantic faux pas of the Internet social media age and many users admit to feeling annoyed or embarrassed by friends.

According to a UK-based dating website match.Com, the digital era's way of demonstrating one's love a little too openly annoys or embarrasses nearly half of users.

Researchers show while these messages may be relished by the couples involved, they dont auger well with others, the 'Daily Express' reported.

As many as four in 10 participants were left cringing after seeing friends exchanging overly-romantic or flirtatious messages with their partners online.

Over a third of them said they are bombarded with comments or wall posts about a painful breakup - with the majority saying they would rather not know, the report said.

While a third of users preferred not to see people call their partner by a pet name, many users just don't feel comfortable with friends using public social media sites to share intimate details of their love lives, research suggests.

However, some aspects of intimacy don't bother users at all, with 90 per cent of those asked in the survey admitting they had no objections to a shared profile picture of a friend and their partner.