When it comes to Facebook, people tend to open their souls and pour their every waking action into elaborate posts, dozens of pictures (usually varied angles of the same shot), numerous tags and excessive comments and likes. Yet, when it comes to relationship status, people tend to throw out the “it’s none of your business” card, which is a position very contradictory to their actions. So if you’re willing to let everyone know what you’re doing throughout the day in thirty-minute intervals riddled with hash tags, photos, smiley faces, location declarations and tags, what’s up with the secretive relationship statuses?
There are a few ideas I have to find reasoning behind this weird predicament. Maybe there aren’t enough relationship status options to satisfy people. Options range from the basic “single” and “married” to more outlandish declarations of “In an open relationship.” Maybe if Facebook created a “None of the above” option and allowed users to add in their own status, people would be more willing to share their relationship status with their Facebook community. Yet, deep down, I don’t believe that is the problem.
Maybe for some they skip from one person to the next so quickly that the task of changing their Facebook status from “Single” to “In a relationship” to “Single” to “Engaged” to “It’s complicated” to “Single” to “In a civil union” to “In an open relationship” to “Single” to “Separated” is just too exhausting of a process to keep up with. Plus, if parents and other relatives happen to be part of your Facebook community, this whole relationship thing may get a little uncomfortable to explain.
Maybe others believe their love life is pathetic and the mere thought of changing their relationship status may jinx their whole situation and land them into the black hole of singlehood once again.
Maybe some are just following the trend of emo, goth, hipster, hippie, what have you, and don’t want to conform.
Maybe some just YOLO.
Maybe some NBD.
Maybe some are so oblivious to the ins and outs of Facebook that they have yet to discover that one can declare their relationship status.
Whatever a person’s reasoning might be, I believe this all boils down to is the lack of commitment of the person who is unwilling to change their relationship status. Yes, guys may cease to like the pictures of yourself in a bikini and girls may no longer comment wanting tickets to your “gun show,” or lack thereof, but once you’re in a relationship, shouldn’t the only thing that matters be the opinion of the person you’re with?
So if you have a special man or woman in your life that refuses to change their relationship status on Facebook, it’s time to drop them like its hot. It doesn’t matter whether they treat this social networking site as a once a week check in with friends or their personal diary. Sorry honey, but if they aren’t willing to prove their devotion to you by something as insignificant as a Facebook relationship status, then they really aren’t that committed to you.
I’m sure some of you think this is entirely bogus and that no one has the right to tell you how you feel about your current significant other, but put yourself on the receiving end of such a situation. How would you feel if you were head over heels, scream from the top of a mountain about someone and they refused to change their relationship status? Such a juvenile refusal could be quite hurtful to a relationship.
Whether you treat Facebook as a way to keep in touch with far away friends and family or document your entire life, there is no excuse to withhold a relationship status change. And if you’re unsure of what to call your current situation, there are eleven specially picked declarations that should tickle your fancy.
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