Facebook Testing Breakup Tool To Make Ending Relationships Less Painful
Facebook wants to make it easier when users experience relationship breakups. The online social network that was originally intended to bring people together now wants to make it less painful to stay apart.
As reported by Fox News, Facebook may introduced a breakup tool feature that makes it easier to split from a spouse or partner. So emotions are spared, the feature will block an ex-lover’s posts and pictures in news feeds.
On Thursday, Facebook started testing the breakup tool on mobile devices in the United States. Based on feedback, the social network will decide later if they will make it available to its 1.5 billion users worldwide.
Instead of blocking a husband, wife, girlfriend, or boyfriend on the world’s largest social network, a user can make some simple changes to their profile. The breakup tool is optional and easy to use.
After changing a relationship status, users will be able to simply remove their names from previous posts that linked them to their former partner. Users can also limit photos, videos, and status updates that the ex will see.
Facebook product manager Kelly Winters explained how the breakup tool works in a Facebook blog post.
“See less of a former partner’s name and profile picture around Facebook without having to unfriend or block them. Their posts won’t show up in News Feed and their name won’t be suggested when people write a new message or tag friends in photos.”
Facebook is where billions of people share everyday life moments, including close relationships. However, when things don’t work out, people find it hard to comfortably distance themselves from those connections on the social network.
Winters says Facebook wants to make things easier during those times.
“This work is part of our ongoing effort to develop resources for people who may be going through difficult moments in their lives. We hope these tools will help people end relationships on Facebook with greater ease, comfort and sense of control.”
The Facebook breakup tool is designed to help the user get over the relationship faster. A recent study published by the University of Miami discovered that college students spent a lot of time on Facebook after a breakup. However, the study concluded that this extra time also made it more difficult to get over the relationship.
By offering the breakup feature, Facebook anticipates users will have a better overall experience while on the site.
There is another tool Facebook has been testing and may soon be releasing. The online juggernaut is experimenting with self-destructing messages.
In a previous Inquisitr report, Facebook’s messenger app may allow people to send messages with an auto-destruct timer built in. The tool is said to be similar to the Snapchat app, which specializes in short-lived, temporary instant messages between users.
The Snapchat app immediately deletes messages after a user views them. It is not yet clear how the Facebook timed-messages will work. Similar to the breakup tool, it is likely Facebook will tweak and make modifications based on user feedback.
The Facebook chat timed function is being tested in France right now with a limited number of users.
Daily, more than one billion people spend time on Facebook and the service has become an integral part of our social life. And, by all accounts, people who have a Facebook mobile app spend even more time on the network.
Facebook continues to explore new ways and technology to keep users on the site as long as possible. Obviously, the breakup tool is one of those ways.
Once the Facebook breakup protection tool becomes active, anyone will be able to avoid the risk of offending their former partner while sparing them the potential emotional heartache of being constantly reminded of the broken relationship.
[Photo by John Moore/Getty Images]
