Aug 19th, 2008
Aug 19th, 2008
I would imagine that if you are within the ages of 14-35 you have likely heard this phrase or one similar to it “It isn’t official til its on Facebook.” There is something about the relationship status section of a person’s Facebook profile that seems to offer as much insight as a large diamond on the left hand. It is strange, but many things can be learned from this simple piece of the profile. The information offered here is becoming a custom for the Facebook Gen like being pinned was for our parents.
I know many people (myself included) who have learned about engagements, engagement break-offs, marriages, divorces, new significant others, break-ups, and the sexual orientation of their “friends” all through this arena. There is also the mysterious non-inclusion of the relationship status. This can be interpreted in various ways from “I don’t want other people to know about the person I am seeing” to “I am single but don’t want people to know that” to “I am a swinger” to ‘We are having problems but it is not officially over yet” to “It’s personal and no bodies business.”
The best part about the relationship status on Facebook is the conversations it spurs. Emails to friends saying “Did you see who he is dating now?” or “They got engaged?” It offered endless options for gossip driven fodder.
So what does this new “almost tradition” mean about the importance of social networking to our actual lives? Does it seem strange that so much merit and thought is put into something that may be deemed trivial?
