“Are You Guys Facebook Official Yet?”
NEIRAD enilno edition
People love when that cute, pink heart pops up on their news feed saying a friend is now “in a relationship.” Then you may rush over to “like” or comment on this change, or if you disapprove, you choose to either stay away or sometimes even express your opinion. Relationships are a very touchy area of Facebook and making your relationship “Facebook official” lets the rest of the Web world know what’s going on in your love life.
While some Facebook relationships are legitimate, others are simply friends who are “married” to each other for fun. DHS junior Sydney Schildnecht says, “It gets really confusing with the "married" Facebook status... When couples are "married" on Facebook, it's hard to tell if they're just goofy friends, or if they're actually dating... (Though, obviously, they're not actually married).”
Liking and commenting on changed relationship statuses can also be tricky. One DHS student (who wishes to remain anonymous) changed her relationship status to “in a relationship” with someone, and had 20 people “like” the change and nine commented, which were all in complete approval of course.
When asked about the influx of the likes and comments on her new relationship, this student said, “Facebook made my relationship quite public and it was startling to how many people saw and 'liked' it, especially people who only know me, who now have 'friended' the other person. So basically Facebook [adds] a whole new aspect to relationships and is something that opens them up for everyone to see, whether you like it or not.”
But should this make the student wary of publicizing a new relationship on Facebook? Or should they be happy to spread the good news? Senior Lina Starovoitova says, “I think [relationship statuses are] more of a gossip venue than anything; some people like to flaunt their relationships, and for some people it's a way of showing “commitment.” And then again there are those poor lost souls who insist on marrying their best friends and leaving an entire chain of nosy "friends" debating the legitimacy of this marriage. And this is why Facebook continues to entertain and enthrall a mass of teenagers. (And that ‘it's complicated’ button, I'm still confused as to what exactly it insinuates).”
Junior Olivia Taylor adds her opinion, saying, “When a relationship is ‘Facebook official’ it makes you feel all giddy and happy inside. It reminds you that you didn't just make it up. Seeing that you're in a relationship with someone means they aren't ashamed to announce their association with you to the public. It's kind of a step in a relationship.”
As for the different “relationships” one can have, Taylor says, “‘Married,’ ‘engaged,’ and ‘it's complicated’ are all for fun. If you're in a relationship (in high school) then it's stupid to be anything other than ‘in a relationship’ because that's all you are. If it's complicated, why are you putting that on Facebook?”
While some people may be very open about their relationships by publicizing it on the Web site that attracts millions of users each day, others do not feel the same. Sophomore Mike Stovall said, “I’ve found that Facebook relationship statuses can be very unreliable. Plus, I don’t see why people would want everyone knowing about what’s going on in their relationship. I think it’s kind of stupid for sure.”
More problems arise when a relationship ends. Facebook states it quite frankly, “Person A is no longer in a relationship with Person B.” Both are left with this ugly public announcement, which may be tough for them if it was a messy breakup. Some friends might be bold enough to like the announcement, or even comment on it, saying “dislike” or a similar statement. Again, this seems to leave everyone in a difficult position.
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s no secret that relationships are on everyone’s mind. Some are new, some are old, and some people just get more heavyhearted seeing the flux of relationships pop up on their news feed. When you come right down to it, most people agree that Facebook makes relationships more complicated and dramatic than they really need to be.
