Storified by CBC News Community ·
Tue, Nov 13 2012 14:26:20
The introduction of Facebook’s new, automatically-generated
“us” URLs for couples has bloggers buzzing, with many turning their thumbs
straight down at the company over privacy concerns, lack of notice, and a generalized dislike of
digital displays of affection.
Fb
Facebook has been offering “friendship pages,” which pull
together the interactions between any two friends on the network, since 2010.
But thanks to a recent upgrade, the service now
automatically curates moments shared between two people listed in a
relationship and places them on a joint page at Facebook.com/us.A New Look for Friendship Pages
Facebook's latest news, announcements and media resources - Facebook's latest news, announcements and media resources - News
These “couples pages,” as they’re commonly being
called, display all correspondence, events attended, and photos tagged together
for the world to enjoy (or get sick over.)
Ugh puke! The smugness! Facebook launches couples page so users can chart their relationship. http://www.psfk.com/2012/11/facebook-couples-pages.html
— Dervla Cunningham ·
Tue, Nov 13 2012 12:19:06
Facebook launches "Couples" pages. In related news, I just threw up all over my desk. http://bit.ly/W1moJ7
— Peter Shankman ·
Tue, Nov 13 2012 09:06:58
Facebook pages for couples: please kill me and take my eyes out with a rusty spoon: http://bit.ly/ZBoDSv
— Jessica Reed ·
Tue, Nov 13 2012 05:14:27
Facebook launches "couples pages", automatically launching joint profiles for couples. http://soc.li/its9H3Q Excuse me while I go throw up.
— Trillary Duff ·
Tue, Nov 13 2012 12:35:33
Have an urge to vomit but don't feel nauseated? Solution: check out Facebook's new 'Couples Pages': http://bit.ly/RASze0 (via @rnadworny)
— Rachel Feldman ·
Tue, Nov 13 2012 13:20:22
The only way to opt out of this service is to remove the
relationship status from your personal profile completely, according to CNN,
who spoke to Facebook’s Jessie Baker by email.
”You
cannot deactivate the pages, but you can control what you share on Facebook
using the privacy settings for each post," wrote Baker.
"The friendship page respects the privacy setting of each post. This means the person viewing the friendship page may see each post elsewhere on Facebook, like on either friend's timeline or in news feed. You can curate your friendship page by hiding stories you do not want to appear."
Wordpress
Still, many were upset over the idea.
Calling Facebook's couples URLs “cringeworthy”, The Telegraph's women’s
editor Emma Barnett wrote that Mark Zuckerberg is “way off the mark with
proactively creating couples pages which automatically curate people's
relationships.”
“You have
infantilized my relationship for me with the creation of www.facebook.com/us.
Only I should get to do that,” she continued. “And you may have just forced me,
a newlywed, to finally take the plunge and break up with my husband on
Facebook."
Jennifer Write at The Gloss pointed out the likelihood of an
even messier digital separation should a breakup occur.
"When you break up, where does the
Facebook couple's page go? That is going to be like a knife right in your
heart-brain."
Villagevoice
Barnett and Write were not alone. Many expressed annoyance and made sarcastic quips about the pages on Twitter
Nothing says 'we're totally in love and we totally don't trust each other' like a couples page on Facebook.
— Jonno T ·
Tue, Nov 13 2012 04:53:33
@artisticdork Oh yea. I just clicked on http://facebook.com/us and THERE was a couples profile of us. UNWANTED.
— Jen A. Miller ·
Tue, Nov 13 2012 10:57:53
And this is why I dislike Facebook couples pages, they want us to be like this!!! http://pic.twitter.com/sE7o5TdM ·
ClaireLHuxley
When you've completely lost your own identity and every word out of your mouth is "WE". @Facebook Couples Pages http://facebook.com/us
— David Stehle ·
Tue, Nov 13 2012 10:35:41
And to love that 'unsubscribe' button. MT @StateStSports: #Facebook created couples profiles. One more reason to love twitter.
— Dago ·
Tue, Nov 13 2012 13:12:09