Why I Decided to Not Be Facebook Official
If I received a dollar every time somebody asked me why my relationship with my girlfriend isn’t Facebook official, I probably could’ve treated her to a nice meal at a nice restaurant by now. When asked, I usually just smile at the person and leave it at that. Mainly because I don’t feel that I need to explain myself, but I’m in the mood to write, so why not…
Here we go…
- Gossip: Let’s be honest, Facebook does nothing but feed gossip, and this is even more true when it comes to people and their significant others. As I think about it over the years, I can’t remember the last time somebody actually went and talked to the source of a relationship once that particular person’s status was changed on FB. Two people date, Facebook official. Let the gossip-fest begin. They break up, now they have to change their status. Let the gossip-fest begin. I know it’s true. You know it’s true, and I’d rather not be a part of any of that.
- Privacy: Call me old fashioned, but I don’t want my entire life on the internet. Yes, I post often, and I post what I want, but there are some areas of my life that mean more to me than others, and I will protect those things with everything I have. My relationship with my girlfriend is personal, we’ve had our ups, we’ve had our downs, and we’ve worked through the things we’ve needed to work through, in fact, we still do, it’s nothing serious, but relationships require effort, and major communication, but I cherish what we have, and I don’t feel the entire world needs to know about it.
- Timing: I realize there’s a right time for everything. I also realize there’s a small level of responsibility on my part that’s come with some of the opportunities I’ve had in life. I’ve accepted that people are watching my life, some old, some young, regardless of who it is, I just want to set a good example, and I genuinely strive to do so on a daily basis. There will be a right time for me to be more “public” about my relationship, and now is not that time
The Facebook game is a funny one, isn’t it? Have we replaced the desire in our heart for pure genuine relationships and encouragement with the shallow feeling that comes when we log in to a website and see a little red circle with a number in it? At the end of the day I know two things; I live a life, a fairly good one, and I’m okay with it not being out in the open for all to see, and I’m in a great relationship with one amazing girl.
It’s real and official in every way that it’s supposed to be.
JG
