This is a little different than what I normally address in my blog
posts, but I feel it's important. Lately I've seen a couple people make
a very public social media spectacle of their personal relationships'
disintegration, and that could have been avoided if they had just been
a bit more discrete.
I think that you're pretty safe on LinkedIn.
That site is generally professionally-oriented, and most people keep
their personal lives out of it. But Facebook and Twitter are much more
socially-oriented, and when a relationship is all hearts and flowers,
you may want to shout it to the world. But what happens when it ends?
The
interesting part is that sometimes people rush to change their Facebook
relationship status to "in a relationship" very early on in that
relationship, before they really know each other. It might be better to
take a step back and treat social media like you do real life. Do you
rush out broadcasting to the world that you're now "taken?" Do you tell
everyone you meet, friends, family and strangers every chance you get?
Maybe some people do, but many people are more discrete and careful
about who they share that information with, if for no other reason, to
minimize the circle of people they will have to explain a potential
future breakup to.
So, what happens when you've been involved
with someone for a period of time and have made a very public
demonstration of your coupled status on Facebook and Twitter, and made
a bunch of friends together, and then you break up? Who gets the
friends? What if his/her friends start criticizing you in social media,
perhaps simply to boost the ruptured ego of their closer friend? What
if your ex quickly finds a new love, and you are confronted with this
potentially painful fact every time you log into your account?
It's
much easier to avoid potentially painful situations and people in the
real world than it is in social media if you're "friends" and
"following" each other. This is where decisions have to be made. You
can toughen up and find a way to deal with the new reality, or you can
sever your ties with the ex and his/her circle of friends. Or you can
stalk your ex. Just kidding. I don't recommend that one.
In the
meantime though, this breakup also likely creates an uncomfortable
situation for any common friends who may be caught in the middle or
feel they have to pick sides. Again, it's generally pretty easy to
avoid people in the real world, but the virtual reality makes it hard
when you're connected through social media channels.
Ultimately,
I caution my clients to be careful about posting personal relationship
information on social media before they are married. I also caution
them to be careful about postings and tweets that are shared with an
intimate partner. Such posts can really come back to bite you down the
line when things aren't so wonderful anymore.
Ultimately,
discretion is the key, and it can prevent a lot of heartache,
embarrassment and a potential public spectacle in the future.
by: Christine Pilch
Christine@GrowMyCo.com
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