Breakups Aren't Real Unless They're On Facebook

Personally, I've never had a relationship status on Facebook. I've been in a relationship for four years and we've never been "Facebook official," mainly because neither of us feels the need to proclaim our status to the social media masses. It's not a secret of course (a quick peek through my photo albums will confirm that), but I guess I just feel like, if you're my actual friend, you know that I have a boyfriend. If you're not, my relationship isn't really your business.

Clearly I'm in the minority on that opinion, because a new poll says 43 percent of young people would use Facebook to confirm the end of a relationship. YouGov, a UK-based marketing research firm polled 2,000 people ages 18 to 34 and found that social media, particularly Facebook, was key to the way they conduct their romantic relationships.

Some of the illuminating statistics: 34 percent would delete all photos of of a former significant other after a breakup, 42 percent would unfriend within a month of a breakup and 31 percent would unfriend a former partner's friends and family members, too. 65 percent said they'd change their status to "single" within a month of a breakup, as well.

None of those numbers surprise me in the slightest, despite my own distaste for making relationships public. Social media has irrevocably changed our social relationships, including (especially?) romantic ones. I think that having to update or otherwise modify your Facebook profile must make break ups even harder than they already are, but I do admit that I'm super thankful for that little "Hide From Newsfeed" option.