After a kiss, the 22-year-old University of North Texas senior got a Facebook message from her new lover.
“We didn’t talk about it,” she explained, “then we kissed, and that night he sent me that request” on Facebook. “Without going into detail. ‘Oh, OK, I guess,’ I thought.”
Shinn is one of the 67 million people that use Facebook. The social networking site has revolutionized online privacy by enabling users to establish profiles with images, quotations, personal information, and relationship statuses.
Singles, in a relationship, married, engaged, in an open relationship, or “It’s complex” are all options on Facebook.To be labeled as a couple on the internet, both parties must consent to the label.
A new relationship isn’t genuine for many college students unless it’s on Facebook.
Users’ relationship statuses appear to change almost every time you log on to the website.
Users can see every modification their friends have made to their account, including up-to-the-minute updates on whether couples are still together, thanks to the main page’s “news feed,” which maintains track of everyone a user has designated as a friend.
If a user’s status has recently changed from “in a relationship” to “single,” a little red broken heart appears next to their name.
Chris Neal, a 20-year-old sophomore at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, believes that putting connections on the internet reinforces commitment.
“It’s public information” when it’s listed on Facebook, he added. “Guys will not try to seduce a female in a relationship, and females will not seduce a guy. It’s as though you’re claiming your land.”
As an inside joke, Neal and Taikein Cooper, a UNC-Chapel Hill sophomore, founded the Facebook group “If your relationship isn’t mentioned on Facebook…it doesn’t count!” about a year ago.
According to Neal, the club has around 700 online members, most of whom agree with the declaration.
“If you don’t have a Facebook account, it’s not official,” he remarked.
“If you want him or her to be exclusive, you have to put it out there,” Cooper says.
Matt Pestinger, 18, stated in an e-mail that he founded his group, “Your relationship doesn’t matter until it’s posted on Facebook,” as a statement on today’s environment.
“I started this group to show out what our world has come to, and it makes me laugh,” the University of Oklahoma freshman stated.
His organization has 468 members.
“The public adores the band,” he remarked. “Everyone says, ‘That’s both amusing and truthful.'”
Samantha Majka wants to share specific details about her relationship with the public. Majka, a sophomore at Towson University in Towson, Maryland, is 18 years old.
“Facebook relationship status options are insufficient,” she started an online community.
The group, which has over 2,000 members, has suggestions for Facebook to include in its relationship choices.
“Has [insert name] wrapped around his/her finger,” for example. “Is seeing […] but sssh don’t tell” and “Is trying to find out how to split up with […]” are two phrases that come to mind.
Majka has a few thoughts of her own.
She explained, “I wanted to be able to put multiple” on the relationship status. “Not for polygamy or anything,” says the narrator, “but for multiple dating.”
She stated she founded the group as a joke after learning that the Facebook default updates don’t match every relationship. Users mention their significant partners and share images and videos on other social networking Websites, such as MySpace.
“With this kind of things being on the Internet, Facebook, and MySpace, our generation is a lot more open,” Shinn added. “We have no secrets or anything like that. Nothing is kept hidden from us. We show each other everything. We don’t conceal anything because we have no shame in anything.”
People are so open with their personal information on Facebook and MySpace, Majka believes since it’s a kind of self-expression.
“I think it’s just a want to share a piece of oneself with the world,” she explained. Users want others to learn more about them and discover who they are, according to Neal.
Others, on the other hand, aren’t so convinced.
Pestinger remarked, “I have no idea why individuals are so free to be so open on Facebook.”
Shinn is upfront about her relationship, but Pestinger and Majka are labeled as married, even though none of them has married.
“I’ve been in the same relationship for so long that it appears like I’m married,” Pestinger explained. “I included my relationships to demonstrate that I am not single to the rest of the world. It informs them of my romantic partner’s identity.”
On their profile profiles, neither Neal nor Cooper have any relationships indicated.
“On Facebook, I don’t even have single listed,” Neal explained. “I’m not looking for a certain type of woman. I’m not going to put anything out there until I find one exclusive female.”
Cooper said that he had previously posted relationships on Facebook.
“At the time, it was her decision,” he explained. “She thought putting it on Facebook would prevent a lot of problems.”
Some difficulties, according to Cooper, include individuals failing to disclose their relationships and utilizing Facebook to meet new individuals. According to Neal, Facebook has evolved into a tool for meeting new people and staying in touch with family and friends.
“You sort of need this to stay up with folks if you’re in college,” Neal added. “I have relatives whose phone numbers I don’t know, but I can keep up with them on Facebook.”
Shinn claims that Facebook has aided her in staying in touch with all of her friends, even one studying in Scotland.
“We separate ourselves because we’re so preoccupied with school and job,” she explained. “It’s a lot simpler to communicate with people.”
According to Majka, Facebook is an excellent method to remain in touch with people without meeting them in person.
“It’s also a wonderful choice if you don’t enjoy conversing on the phone,” she said. Cooper would be lost entirely if he didn’t have Facebook.
He remarked, “I’m not sure what they did before Facebook.”
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Read also: https://buzzfeedng.com/sa/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-facebook-marketplace/