The New Breakup

by Tobi Elkin

Let’s face it: Breakups suck.

But in the era of social media where Facebook friends morph within nanoseconds into real-time lovers, then descend just as quickly into frenemy territory, splits and their attendant issues now live on the World Wide Web for all your so-called “friends” to see and engage with. News about relationship difficulties, alleged infidelity, outright cheating, divorce battles, and garden variety breakups that used to reside in the private domain between two people and maybe a handful of close friends can be spread farther and faster than a rhinovirus in winter. Aided and abetted by web-based and wireless technology, breakups, dissing your ex, and nailing a cheating partner can get downright nasty.

In the on-demand world of text messaging, moment-to-moment Twitter updates, blogging, instant messaging, email, and continuous RSS feeds, relationship vicissitudes can be logged, and by the same token, monitored, with the exacting precision of a military campaign. And with myriad computer software applications and websites, uncovering (and unloading) cheating, lying, two-faced lovers is as easy as a pointing and clicking.

Which all begs the question: Is technology changing the nature—and the frequency of—the breakup?

Public Domain
Sixteen-year-old Amalia Rudnik, a dating newbie who’s had two boyfriends break up with her on Facebook, says the “status” box where people indicate whether they’re “in a relationship,” “single,” or “it’s complicated,” can easily be used as a weapon, as well as the “wall” on your profile page and the graffiti application.