How do you handle Facebook when it comes to interpersonal relationships, especially those of a romantic nature? Do you use the site to surf for new hookups, check up on your partner, or connect with former flames? Facebook can put an unnecessary strain on already developed romantic relationships. Facebook, though not "reality," can sometimes serve as a check on reality if people are not careful. People often say "It's not official until it's on Facebook". But what about you? Does Facebook play a part in your love life?

We enjoy Facebook and the way that it changes dating because it makes us feel more in control. We control the information that goes on our profiles, and thus the way that people perceive us. But we also can use Facebook to figure out secrets about those we're beginning to date way earlier than that person would probably disclose those secrets to us.

Courting private lives for public use is a complex dance. While users may praise Facebook for paying attention to their networking and dating needs, many desire to keep intimate information private. "if you're reading daily updates from hundreds of people about whom they're dating and whether they're happy, it might, some critics worry, spread your emotional energy too thin, leaving less for true intimate relationships. The ease of writing on someone's 'wall" or sending them a message in some cases eliminates the need to go see a friend in person.

In essence, while Facebook has the capacity to keep us connected with friends, it also has the capacity to destroy (though it may be slowly and stealthily) part of what makes us human. Communicating online is in some ways degrading the value of communicating face-to-face, simply out of mere convenience - in much the same way that the cellphone and text messaging have, but to a much greater degree.  

Here are some of the startling discoveries that a recent online survey made by astonishing lifestyle.com.

24 Percent:

This is the number of people who actually do not list their 'real' relationship status. This is done so that they can keep their 'options' open as well as it gives them a chance to continue flirting with others.  There are the others who do not mention their status at all. Only 50% of these, who omit their statuses, are single.

70 Percent:

That's the number of people who have confessed to having used facebook as a medium to flirt with people. 24% of the users confessed that they used the social network to flirt around with people other than the partner they were involved with currently.

59 Percent:

This is the percentage of people who admitted to feeling pangs of jealousy when they see their partner's interactions with other people on facebook. Facebook is actually known to contribute to a feeling of jealousy, and this seems to be affecting even the people who weren't naturally predisposed to being jealous.

29 Percent:

This is the percentage of people who said that a post on their wall or a photograph got them into some 'significant' trouble with their significant other. It turns out that in the case of almost 42% of the people, their partner's doubts were justified. Around 11% of the people surveyed said that their partner was on a limited profile, which would mean that they couldn't see everything he/she did on facebook.

55 Percent:

That is the percentage of people who sent friend requests to people that they were attracted to, but only knew them peripherally, like through a friend or an acquaintance. Around 23% of them admitted that they'd sent a friend request to a random stranger because he/she was attractive.

85 Percent:

That's the number of people who have looked up their exes on facebook. 17% of these users claimed that they check up on their ex's pages at least once in a week to keep a tab on how they're doing.

32 Percent:

These many women have tried to reconnect with an older boyfriend via facebook. Of these, about 16% were in another relationship by then; but that didn't deter them from making this move. 36% of men, which is a higher percentage, said that they'd tried to make amends with an ex over facebook. 3% of these respondents also confessed that they'd broken up with someone by just cancelling their relationship status on facebook.

Sources:

• Astonishinglifestyle
• Fastcompany
• Mushon
• Machines.pomona

Page Created: 14 September 2011.