by Jill Wagner

It's not often that I feel bad for Prince Harry, because, well, he's a PRINCE! But news today that his South African girlfriend of five years dumped him over FACEBOOK.... well, that's harsh. A British tabloid says Chelsy Davy announced the end of her relationship with Prince Harry by changing her Facebook profile to: "Relationship: Not in One."
It's a story that's pretty much impossible to verify. That's because, of course, neither Davy or Prince Harry will confirm and Royal officials have refused to comment. I searched Facebook for Davy's profile and found what appeared to be her page, but unfortunately, we're not "friends!" And that means I can't see any of her personal information.
But let's just take a big leap and assume this report is actually true. It really shows how Facebook and other social networking sites are changing the entire way people interact. I remember thinking it was rude to break up with someone over the phone! Now, with a few clicks of the keyboard you can let your significant other know you've had enough of the relationship and want OUT. And you can do it while simultaneously telling all 500 of your closest friends. This is courtesy of a "News Feed" that lets everyone know about the split when they log into their account. The best part is that next to, "So and So went from 'in a relationship' to 'single, there's a little red heart with a jaggedy line down the middle.
I admit I am a Facebook addict myself and there is plenty to love about the site. As I've mentioned in previous blogs, it's great to catch up with friends from high school and college and old jobs. But nothing can really replace face to face time --- whether it be for good stuff or even bad break-ups.
"I remember thinking it was rude to break up with someone over the phone!"
It is. Facebook is worse. Neither has been redeemed, it's just that people have gotten less socially adept.
Speaking of which, this was worth a chuckle, since you mention the news feed:
http://www.much-ado.net/austenbook/
Sidenote: I'm not blaming Jill, here, but can somebody start a movement where we go back to mentioning the country the royal types come from? Because I'm pretty sure Harry ain't the prince of any place of importance to me...wasn't there a big to do a while back where we all decided not to be crown subjects?
Posted by: John | January 29, 2009 at 08:45 AM