Thursday, February 5, 2009

The worst part about being on Facebook


Clearly, there are many annoying things about Facebook, everyone's favorite time-wasting blessing-and-curse, but this has got to be the worst:


I recently went through a break-up and was torn about changing my Facebook status, out of fear of receiving questions and frowny-face emoticons from my 700+ friends. For about a week, my ex and I just didn't change anything. Then I discovered a privacy setting that allows you to change your relationship status without blasting it on your feed. So I erased my status altogether so I was not listed as single or in a relationship or, my personal favorite, "It's complicated with..." (isn't it always?)

However, my discretion proved to be moot yesterday, when my ex changed his status to single and allowed it to go out on his feed. Which of course invoked an onslaught of sympathy and encouragements on his wall to get out there and "pet the pussy" as soon as possible. Classy.

It's not so much that I'm annoyed with my ex -- after all, anything you can do to hasten the getting-over-someone process is a good thing -- I'm annoyed that we live in a world where you have to think about these things at all. I'm annoyed that as we were making the heartbreakingly personal and difficult decision to stop seeing each other, we actually had to discuss The Changing of the Facebook Status.


I've learned my lesson -- I'm never touching that shit again. No one on Facebook will ever know whether I'm single, in a relationship, engaged, married, divorced, cheating, rebounding, prostituting myself etc. If you want to know my "status," you're just going to have to ASK ME. Just like in olden times.

4 comments:

kgagne said...

Kate, I'm so sorry to hear about this difficult decision. I went through something similar last month when my girlfriend broke up with me via email, then changed her Facebook status. I hadn't yet discovered the privacy setting you had, so it went out in my feed, despite me clicking "Delete/hide this story". Sigh. Our time together was the first time I'd listed any relationship status (singe/not single/whatever) on my page; like you, I've been reminded the reason I'd never listed it before.

I recently received three tins of Bittersweets to help me get through the holidays. You're welcome to share...

J.A.G. said...

So, may I ask, ARE you prostituting yourself?

Anonymous said...

You remember, back in the day, when people used to ask, "are you OFFICIALLY dating?" and it was like, "yes" or "no," but there was no ACTUAL office to verify the officialness? Now, facebook is that office.

David Flaherty said...

here here!