Facebook Etiquette for the Happy Couple
"What did you mean by your latest update? Were you referring to me?"
"Why do you still have your status on Facebook as single?"
"Why did you accept his friend request?"
These, and many more, are argument-starting statements that can get you and your other half into fight mode!
You probably either heard someone complain about it, or were actually in one of those Facebook-related arguments!
Research supports that many relationships, and even marriages, were broken due to the social media giant Facebook! But how do you avoid such arguments in your relationship?
There should be common courtesy, respect, as well as etiquette when using Facebook as it can be a double-edged sword.
So here are Arabia Wedding’s 6 most important rules of etiquette you need to know when using Facebook, so that neither one of you gets hurt…
#1 Changing your relationship status should be a mutual decision. One shouldn’t get upset if the other decided not to state their commitment or engagement to the world. Some people like to keep these things private. And it’s their right! So make sure you discuss it and understand the reasons behind why your spouse doesn’t like to declare their love to you on Facebook.
#2 Don’t update your entire friend list on the ups and downs of your relationship. No one likes to feel that their personal life is flaunted on Facebook; especially not their flaws, mistakes and embarrassing moments. So be respectful and considerate when updating your status, and never make it too personal. Your friends will be weirded out too!
#3 It’s one thing to friend your actual friends on Facebook, and a totally different thing when you’re just accepting friend requests left, right and center. Again this is one thing both of you should be considerate about. No on likes a possessive or over-jealous husband, fiancé, wife or girlfriend, but nevertheless Facebook is meant to be a tool to share things with your close friends and family. It’s certainly not a way to meet new singles when you’re already in a relationship.
#4 It’s OK to stay friends with someone you used to date on Facebook; especially if you ended things on a good note. However, if your other half tells you it makes them feel uncomfortable, and would rather you don’t have them on your friend list, honor that request and understand where they’re coming from. Would you like it if the situation were reversed?
#5 Your pictures on Facebook. What is acceptable? Now that is definitely something you should discuss with each other. You need to understand each other’s points of view on posting pictures on Facebook; whether pictures of the two of you or pictures you’ve had in the past. It completely differs from one couple to another, so make sure you are both on the same page when it comes to this tricky Facebook feature.
#6 Respect each other’s privacy. Yes you are a couple, and you are sharing your life with each other. But sometimes over-sharing can get you in a rabbit hole that is deeper than you’d imagined. Do you really have to know his/her password? Should you really snoop through his inbox and google every friend he/she has? There’s a fine line between being curious, and just plain creepy.
And finally, here are a few fun Facebook facts you might like to know…
- "Users spend over 500-billion minutes a month on Facebook."
- "The average user has 130 FB Friends."
- "Facebook is the largest and fastest growing online social network, it is also the most active with half of all users logging in at least once a day."
- "On average, users create 70 pieces of content on Facebook per month."
