For Anonymous: Cyber Cold Shoulder
>> Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Anonymous asked: Social networking sites - If a couple is on 1 particular site, what do you think of 1 person in that couple not friending/following the other person in that couple?
Alright, I'm assuming we're talking about a romantic couple.
Well, you asked my opinion, so I'll tell you: I don't know, but I'd advise against assuming the worst unless you have other reasons to do so.
I've written several posts about finding and making time for yourself. It is easy to see this as a variation on this. When I was on Gather, I knew several coupkes who were friends and several who had alters that they at least intended to be secret from spouses or whatever. They're are several potential reasons for this.
One is that it's a circle of friends that might be just your SO's. Some people, especially folks that have limited numbers of "their own" friends, might feel possessive of their on-line community. ZMy husbands has bunches of friends in chat and other forums and, although he's invited me to join, I feel like he needs his own buds.
Secondly, and don't take this the wrong way, your SO may need a place to vent. Many a marriage or relationship has been saved by one or both having a place to bitch and unload. True, there's something to be said for telling your partner what's bothering you, but sometimes talking it over with a friend makes you feel like someone is on your side OR can help you put things in perspective if you're blowing them out of proportion.
Some people, of course, have a private life for nefarious reasons, but, truly, there are plenty of non-nefarious reasons about. If this is bothering you, though, I urge you to talk it over with him or her. Then you won't have to speculate and your partner can understand how you feel about this.
