When Mark Zuckerberg first came up with this revolutionary concept, he didn’t know he’d be opening up the gates of hell on some innocent Facebook users who actually only use it for sane social interaction. Gone are the days when this social tool was used to connect with old school buddies and far away family members; Facebook is now a multi-faceted tool that is used for things as serious as political manipulation to things as trivial as garnering up some self-esteem.
So here are this year’s top 3 ways Facebook has been misused:
Most adults above the age of 13 know that all relationships can sometimes be confusing, have their ups and downs, and require a mature approach. Facebook has however been recently added to the relationship mix, disturbing the delicate balance. Before two people enter into a relationship they now perform a detailed criminal analysis of each other’s profiles down to how “she has 48 male friends, I draw the line at 46”, or “He only has 392 interests on his profile, he doesn’t seem to get around much”, or even “His second cousin’s neighbor has a friend who I have mutual friends with and he has a bad reputation”.
Now once two people enter into the relationship more Facebook drama ensues. It seems that people have to publicize every emotion they have about their partner. Blissful emotions usually include expressions like: “You are the light of my life / You raise me up / You do not have bodily functions like other humans but rather exude perfume and butterflies / Anything you utter even if total nonsense will make me gawk at you with pride”. While all people in a relationship usually go through the mushy gooey phase, we on the outside do not usually like to witness it and would actually rather watch an endless loop of Afaf Shoeib, Amr Moustafa, and Tawfik Okasha clips. Then, when the relationship faces a bump, innocent Facebook bystanders are bombarded by a series of passive aggressive status updates varying from the sophisticated “For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you” (Khalil Jibran) to the infantile, “Women suck!”
What we need to remember here is that a relationship is a precious dynamic that must be kept only between both parties. Once it becomes available and public to all, it loses all depth and meaning and becomes a commodity that can be handled, prodded, and examined to the extent that it loses value.
One other interesting factor when it comes to Facebook and relationships is how some people try to garner up either self-esteem or confidence about their relationship from this social tool. Posting photos of you and your partner in R-rated poses, happily grinning, and holding onto each other for dear life at a dozen parties and enjoying your friends comments on the pictures; or listing them as your partner on your profile really says nothing about the relationship. While it may give the impression that you’re happy to other people, you are only happy as you feel. Besides, who cares what other people think? Whether you’re happy or miserable, be your beautiful self.
