Facebook: Devaluing Human Relationships

It still drives me crazy to log onto Facebook and see “x has gone from ‘single’ to ‘in a relationship’.” It’s one thing that Facebook has always done, and still the biggest turn-off for me about the whole website. The ability to have something so open-ended, complex and abstract summed up in the click of a drop-down menu baffles me. And then- it’s announced! It even has it’s own icon.

Example: The love of your life just left you. With your pride hurt, you reluctantly go to change your ‘status’, and Facebook makes sure everyone knows about it. They may as well list how many boxes of tissues you went through and include thumbnails of the albums you listened to as you poured your sad, pathetic heart out.

Why can’t there be a “I am/am not interested in being pursued romantically” or some similar option, instead of having to confine to “in a relationship”?