Your very private love life may come into question soon, quite literally.
For those of you Facebook users who have chosen not to disclose your relationship status on your page, the new “Ask” feature makes social media that much more like a creepy singles bar.
The feature allows you to ask friends what’s really going on with the secret status.
When you click the button, a dialogue box pops up with “Let (name) know why you’re asking for his/her relationship status.” You also can include a note like “Can I get your numba girl?” or something equally awkward and maybe a tad more 21st century.
According to CNN, a spokeswoman for Facebook, MoMo Zhou, said the feature (which also can be used to ask for your workplace or hometown) allows you to share the information with your friend. If you choose to answer the “Ask” ping, you can update the information just so you and the asker can know.
Via: itproportal.com
But, it was her other comment that many may have issues with.”This feature provides an easy way for friends to ask you for information that’s not already on your profile,” Zhou said in an email to CNN.
Here’s the problem. There is a reason some things are not on your profile: You don’t want to share them. Our friends that know anything about us tend to already know our relationship status or our hometown or phone number. The only other person that would be asking is that guy from your accounting class that you added just so he could send you his notes from that one day you missed.
Summed up, that basically means a stranger.
Of course, your long lost middle school friend that actually cares could come asking, but in all actuality, it seems as if Facebook is trying to drag Tinder into its clutches.
If dating hasn’t become impersonal enough, now you can use Facebook as your new hunting ground for picking up your next date to Waffle House.
There is a way around the new feature (for you single people out there). If you set your status to “Single,” someone browsing your profile would have to go into your “About” section to find out if you’re setting the table for one, two or the ever bewildering “It’s Complicated.” With this, someone could still message you about the status of your status, but you have the ability to strike back immediately and shut the person down.
The decision is up to you on how you want to deal with the new feature, but for now it seems public is the best way to be private.
Featured photo courtesy of: mashable.com
