No one likes being dumped, and social media’s added a whole new dimension of suffering with the dreaded update ‘this person is no longer in a relationship’. But Facebook are testing a new tool that’ll make splitting up with someone that little less painful, at least digitally.
Right now, if you decide you could do without the constant reminders about what a great time an ex is having without you, you’d need to unfriend or block them.
The problem is that it’s very easy to find out that out you’ve done that, which isn’t ideal. Nothing says you were lying about being fine with your completely amicable break up, more than blocking someone on Facebook.
So the world’s biggest social media site decided to help it’s dumped users by testing out a brand new break-up tool which will alter what an ex can see, but without them knowing you’ve done anything.
The tool allows people to:
- See less of a former partner’s name and profile picture around Facebook without having to unfriend or block them. Their posts won’t show up in News Feed and their name won’t be suggested when people write a new message or tag friends in photos.
- Limit the photos, videos or status updates that a former partner will see.
- Edit who can see their past posts with a former partner and untag themselves from posts with that person.
All of these tools will be totally optional, you’ll be able to access them in the help center at anytime. So maybe if you do get back together with your partner you can magically restore the history you tried so hard to forget.
Although only being tested in the US Facebook do plan on rolling the tool out globally saying:
This work is part of our ongoing effort to develop resources for people who may be going through difficult moments in their lives.
As cool as the new tool is, this may be one tool that you don’t want to try out.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.