Facebook, it seems, has recognized that breaking up is hard to do, and that we, as incapable and weak humans, find it impossible to stay away (unless you’re one of those weirdos with an astronomical amount of self-control). You need a man/woman who appreciates you and can give you what you need.
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This feature, as we’ve written before, is not going anywhere; it’s in Facebook’s best interest to max out your number of friends. But that won’t sever the connection altogether you may be still tagged in your ex’s old photos, for example, or see their name pop up as a suggestion when you write a message.
“When people change their relationship status to indicate they are no longer in a relationship, they will be prompted to try these tools”, reads the Facebook blog post.
“When a relationship ends, we’ve heard from people that they sometimes have questions about the options available to them on Facebook”, writes product manager Kelly Winters. Until now, you’ve had to hide that person, unfriend them, or block them outright.
From now on, when users change their online relationship status to “single” Facebook will let them limit how many posts they see from their ex without blocking them or unfriending them.
Breakups are never fun, and having to see your ex-significant other in Facebook posts, photo albums, and events is just salt in an open wound.
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That handy feature is powered by the magic of network topology, a math/science in which Facebook uses all the information it knows about you to estimate blanks in its network. Now Facebook is rolling out tools that’ll bring a little nuance.
