Congratulations: you like someone! Or maybe you’re dating. But of course, according to everyone and their mother, nothing’s official until the inevitable Facebook relationship status change ensues“ or is it? With the Facebook backlash finally upon us, many couples are taking it back. So with the new social media movement upon us, what are the secrets behind being in a relationship with? Here’s what we found.
Meaning?
Once upon a time, changing the Facebook relationship status meant something more than just an ironic pairing, but thanks to best friends being in civil unions, and freshman listing themselves under divorced, the days of taking statuses seriously are long gone. Of course, some couples take it seriously (engaged, married and long-term pairs tend to commit Facebook-styles), but with Facebook’s privacy act consistently changing, more often than not, couples don’t indulge at all.
Nothing Personal
More often than not, you’ve come across the profile of someone you’re interested in, only to discover absolutely no personal information whatsoever: no tagged photos, no work and school information and no relationship status. And while we’d all been trained to gasp in shock upon learning a couple may have broken up (if they changed their status, it must be true!), a reclamation of old-fashioned getting to know you has taken hold instead. So what’s the best bet for deciphering who’s single and who’s not? Ask. (We know “ it’s scary to us, too.)
Respecting Privacy
We’ve all had those moments of stumbling upon someone’s Facebook profile, only to learn that it’s under limited settings depending on who you are. Truth be told, some guys (and girls) will hide who they’re in a relationship with to maintain that air of mystery, so if you’re checking out a potential crush (or have just made things official with one), it doesn’t hurt to double check whether that in a relationship with . . . status is common knowledge, or something for certain eyes only.
Old School
Therefore, despite what advances in technology would have us believe, the best bet to avoiding Facebook relationship status pitfalls is to go the old-fashioned route and talk about it. Are you unsure whether someone’s single? Ask. Do you want the masses to know you’re dating the guy you’ve liked forever? Tell him. Are you over the concept of labels and want to stay widowed or engaged to your BFF? Make it clear. True, social media’s made some things easier, but when it comes to labels and dating, only an actual conversation will shed enough light.
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