No, I do not want to see your friendship. Nor do I think I have the right to. Friendships are between two people, not two people and the whole cyber world. Facebook has gone too far this time.
A new link featured on Facebook is titled “See Friendship.” Replacing the old “See Wall to Wall,” this link directs the user to a page featuring all the wall posts, photos, statuses, events, likes, friends, and comments that the two users have in common. It is basically a tool for obsessive stalkers who choose to creep on others way beyond necessary. The “See Friendship” tool is just that, unnecessary.
While some might claim it is useful to see mutual interests, it’s an excuse for Facebook users to find out way too much information about their fellow “friend.” Most people don’t have strong friendships with all their Facebook “friends” anyway. Some are acquaintances and some are strangers. I think that is why the founders of Facebook created this tool. If a person doesn’t know their “friends” very well, maybe a great way to get to know them better is to see how close they are with anyone and everyone else. In my opinion, that is just creeping.
Not only will this tool lead to more people finding out information that they shouldn’t know in the first place, it is a pure violation of privacy. The sad thing is a user can see a friendship with one of their friends and someone they aren’t even friends with. That seems to me like a misuse of confidentiality. I don’t want any of my friends’ friends to see our relationship. That’s just weird, I don’t even know them. I’m pretty sure that goes against the privacy settings I set so that only my friends can access what I post on Facebook. Even more than that, the interaction I have with someone doesn’t need to be consolidated onto a stalker page. Viewing every single wall post, picture, or comment my friend and I have shared together since the start of our “friendship” on Facebook is completely absurd.
Going beyond just creeping on one relationship, there is a tab on the top right of the screen that prompts the user to see other friendships. What a perfect way to further this creeping habit.
This habit is only going to contribute to Facebook fights, jealousy, and breakups. Let’s face it Jags, we have all seen verbal attacks between two Facebook users. Public for the world to see, comments full of rage are sent with a click of the mouse. Now with the “See Friendship” tool, more information that can lead to nasty fights is quickly accessed. I predict loads of breakups as an outcome of the “See Friendship” tool. A curious girlfriend might creep on their boyfriend’s relationship with another girl, find a suspicious picture and question his feelings. A vigilant boyfriend might check into a girlfriend’s ex and find out something that is meant to stay in the past. This boyfriend/girlfriend drama is easily avoided.
Beyond relationships with the opposite sex, the “See Friendship” link can damage companionship with others of similar sex. If a girl sees a post between her best friend and another girl about her, that friendship is quickly dismantled. If she sees a picture from an event that she wasn’t invited to in someone else’s friendship page, her feelings are hurt. If a boy sees his best friend hitting on a girl he likes, that friendship is quickly ruined. If he sees his friends planning something without inviting him, he feels excluded. This jealousy is easily preventable. Facebook techs just need to delete “See Friendship.”
“See Friendship”- which was probably created with the best intentions- is a step in the wrong direction. I don’t think it is vital for anyone to observe others’ relationships unless they are a psychiatrist or social worker. Let’s be honest with ourselves, the only point of “See Friendship” is so that creeping on people is that much faster. Instead of fostering new friendships, it destroys the ones already made. Let’s get rid of it.