Social networking has changed the nature of relationships by altering how they are formed, experienced, and ended. It has shifted dating from an unknown process to one based on "Facebook stalking" potential partners. Maintaining online profiles and connections with exes can delay emotional recovery from breakups. Relationships are now shaped for their online audience rather than just between partners. This new mode of social interaction through technology has intrinsically changed relationships.

1. Photo Marco Spaapen (Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusspaapen/8506277811/sizes/m/in/photostream/
How Social Networking has
changed the dating game.
By Kathryn McKay

2. Social Networking has redefined the inherent
meaning and nature of relationships.
Photo Christopher.Michel(Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/8735312715/sizes/c/in/photostream/

3. Altering how relationships are
formed,
Photo Craig Sunter(Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16210667@N02/8396518380/in/photostream

4. Experienced,
Photo
Christopher.Michel(Flickr)http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/8636685424/sizes/z/in/photostr
eam/

5. And lost.
Photo
Christopher.Michel(Flickr)http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/8587886257/sizes/z/in/ph
otostream/

6. There is no longer a
romanticized, unknowing quality of
dating
Photo Porkchop756 (Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/porkchop756/7214599018/sizes/c/in/photostream/

7. Photo Craig Sunter(Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16210667@N02/8693027727/sizes/o/in/photostream/
But rather, this new form of dating is
situated upon “Facebook stalking”
- Allison McCann, How Facebook Ruined Dating (and Breaking Up to)

8. Photo Christopher.Michel(Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/8704927877/sizes/z/in/photostream/
With the aim to “reduce some of the
uncertainty in relationships”
- Allison McCann, How Facebook Ruined Dating (and Breaking Up to)

9. Photo Craig Sunter (Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16210667@N02/8667938118/sizes/m/in/photostream/
New, media constructed, relationship milestones “represent
a new tier in the relationship nuptials”.
- quote from Jesse Fox, republished by Tom Jacobs in “I Now Pronounce You FBO: Facebook Official

10. Where the
notion of
going steady
is now
represented
through a
technological
mode
Photo Christopher.Michel(Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/8750595735/sizes/z/in/photostream/

11. “For some couples Facebook
acts as a tool for
relationship
maintenance”
- quote from Jesse Fox, republished by Tom Jacobs in “I Now Pronounce You FBO: Facebook Official
Photo
Brittreints(Flickr)http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmandevin/86727360
02/sizes/z/in/photostream/

12. Photo Craig
Sunter(Flickr)http://www.flickr.com/photos/16210667@N02/8621718717/sizes/c/in/photo
stream/
By forcing
couples to
have
honest, candi
d
conversations
about what
their
relationship is

13. Social
Networking
has
however
resulted in
one being
unable to
truly
dissociate
from former
partnersPhoto Julian Stallabrass(Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/slowkodachrome/4536707363/sizes/z/in/photostream/

14. Where “remaining
Facebook friends with
an ex delayed
emotional recovery
and led to greater
distress over the
breakup, negative
feelings, sexual desire
and longing for the ex-
partner.”
- Allison McCann, “How Facebook Ruined Dating (and
Breaking up to)
Photo Craig Sunter(Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16210667@N02/8215711909/sizes/c/in/photostream/

15. Photo
Christopher.Michel(Flickr)http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/8724546832/size
s/z/in/photostream/
Relationships are no longer innately
personal between two partners

16. Photo Cristopher.Michel(Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/8728287134/sizes/z/in/photostream/
But rather “shaped by its
actual and perceived
audience.”
- quote from Jesse Fox, republished by Tom Jacobs in “I Now
Pronounce You FBO: Facebook Official

17. The persona created on Social Networking sites
has real, inherent implications on ones actual life.
Photo nicholasnova(Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nnova/2081056587/lightbox/

18. Where “the information we disclose online
mirrors who we are offline”
- From bullying to relationships: Mapping our online communications
Photo Christopher.Michel(Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/8686576432/sizes/z/in/photostream/

19. and “disclosing more about ourselves online actually
lessons intimacy and satisfaction among romantic couples”
- From bullying to relationships: Mapping our online communications
Photo Christopher.Michel(Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/8687325300/sizes/z/in/photostream/

20. This new
technological
mode of social
interactions, h
as, intrinsically
changed the
nature of
relationships.
Photo Christopher.Michel(Flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/8709720193/sizes/z/in/photostream/