Facebook Relationship Stats

Tonight I have decided to spend the evening alone. Perhaps I will periodically check Facebook, Twitter and all the other social networking sites out there that make us feel like we are connected to other human beings; when in reality we are still sitting at home alone.


Originally I had planned on attending a social munch tonight. This event promised to be completely different from the last. The previous munch was an educational evening with discussions and member participation.
The munch tonight is more of a casual gathering. The venue is a local club. The munch group, I am told, blends in with the rest of the crowd. The objective for the evening is to socialize and get to know other people in the scene.

I will probably attend the next one which is to be held in June. But tonight I cannot bring myself to leave the house. Tonight I just feel like being alone. My date tonight will be a glass of white wine and a Blu-Ray disc.
Though it is true that I am currently single and am half-heartedly looking for a relationship, lately the idea of dating is exhausting to me. So many first dates, and very few that I find intellectually interesting and very little chemistry.

I have been on Facebook for a while, yet despite what was happening in my personal life, I have never changed my relationship status. It has always remained listed as ‘single’. I find it very comical to see some Facebook members that change their relationship status as often as the weather. My opinion is to wait until there is some type of certainty before announcing the relationship.

I have taken the time to poll my close friends, and there is a huge difference between male and female opinion on Facebook relationship status changes.

My male friends tell me they are hesitant to announce a relationship because it is something they don’t normally announce anyway. Most men I have seen leave the ‘relationship’ field blank.
Stereotypical women on the other hand are very quick to want to announce a new partnership, and change their status with great vigour.
It is not the relationship status per se that bothers me. It is the humiliating and humbling act of admitting defeat and changing the status back to ‘single’ once the relationship is over. I have no illusions when starting a new relationship. I am not pessimistic, I am just realistic. I don’t see every new boyfriend as a potential life-long partner. I see the relationship as what it is; two people getting to know each other. After all, if two single people meet and decide to date then the truth is that 100% of their past relationships have failed. That is the truth.

Relationships were much easier back in high school before social networking sites. If you started dating someone in high school every one of your friends would know about it from day one. And if by chance you happened to eventually break-up, well everyone would know about that too.
It would be very strange to apply the Facebook rules of etiquette to the high school scenario. On Facebook a couple is prone to wait, let’s say for a month or so, before announcing their union. This would never work in a real life social setting.

Imagine a boy and a girl dating in high school. The boy would be asking for some serious physical injury if he suggested the following....”Let’s date for one or two months but not tell anyone. By all means you can be one of my friends during school, but I will continue to sleep with you behind closed doors. And if anyone at school asks, I will tell them I am still single”.

I will play devil’s advocate here and ask: why is Facebook any different. If you are in a relationship, why then would you hide it from your friends and still tell the world you are single while sleeping with the girl/boy you are with?

Perhaps Facebook should add an additional choice: ‘currently dating’ or ‘seeing someone’. Would that make things easier?

Funny enough, I have actually heard of relationships ending because of constant fights over the controversial Facebook relationship status. I find that incredibly amusing!

Will I ever change my relationship status? I guess we will wait and see.

I welcome your comments.

~ Madison