Break-ups over social networking sites.

YOUNG COUPLES are increasingly announcing their break-ups over social networking sites like Orkut and Facebook. Having had enough of her boyfriend's "I have notime" ways, Tanuja (name changed) logged in and ended her two-year relationship by simply changing her personal details on Facebook.

These networking sites with profiles have all personal and professional details with a friends' network. By changing her relationship status from "committed" to "single," and removing all pictures of the boyfriend from her page, Tanuja was sending out the mes- sage loud and clear The update was immediately sent to all her friends: and it was not long before one of them began to flirt with her Tanuja is not the only one.

Social network users are becoming candid about their break-ups. "Teens adapt dating practices to the technologies they use. So it is not surprising that the intimate acts are made visible on these social networking sites. Online publicness is central to most teens," says Danah Boyd of Association of Internet Research. The users don't wait too long to make their break-ups public. Sivashri says, "When I broke up, the first thing I did when I logged in was to change my relationship status." Adds Ranveer (name changed), "I didn't want to make people curious by changing the status after I split, but I ensured I left it blank so that people know I've broken up." There are also new options like 'It's Complicated' and 'In an Open Relationship' for the discerning.
Source: HT