At the risk of being too similar to TIME's Person of the Year 2006...someone ordinary made powerful by social media isn't just you. No, it's your love life. Not only had social media changed the way we interact with and meet other individuals, it has revolutionized the way we date, flirt and even get married. Today, 1 in 5 relationships began online through dating websites and other forms of social media. With so much going on in life, it seems like the best way to meet someone romantically. Social media has not only been the gateway to online dating, but a form of it as well. Just because social media outlets like Facebook, MySpace, etc were created typically to connect with existing friends and colleagues, that does not mean it is always used like that. Many social media sites are allowing people to reconnect with long lost friends, family and former flames. In addition, people are meeting through social media sites in addition to dating-specific websites (which are a form of social media in themselves). Our generation's dating and personal lives are being plastered all over the internet, with terms like "Facebook official" often determining how serious a couple's relationship really is. The test of true love is now being determined by whether or not a couple has made their relationship a public matter for others to see.
Although this entire concept of our very personal lives made public, social media site like Facebook are not far off in the concept of what they are making available for their users. Not only is there the option to post your relationship on your user page, but you can also tag your significant other in it as well, making it able for your friends to gain knowledge about your partner. Additionally, the options for how you can define your relationship seem almost endless. With typical options available like, "in a relationship with..." or, "married to...." one also has the option to define that they are "widowed," in an "open relationship" with someone, and now even "in a domestic partnership."
Facebook has absolutely capitalized on their ability to offer an extensive amount of options when publicizing one's personal life. Although this is not only useful, but one of the ways Facebook is so unique, it is without a doubt taking away a certain element from your relationship with another, no matter how you choose to define it as.
