I got engaged recently.
Getting engaged ruined
Why, you ask?
I consider myself a typical Facebook user, and I err on the side of less sharing.
I write on my friends' walls on their birthdays. I post an occasional photo and change my profile picture once a year. I list my alma mater under "Education." I "like" Business Insider so I can read our stories. I don't list any hobbies or products. I never buy people Facebook gifts. I never use Facebook chat. I "liked" Seamless once to get a discount.
And, until recently, I didn't have a "relationship status," even though I was in a relationship.
Then I got engaged.
I was excited! I was entering a new phase of my life. I wanted to share the news with my network of friends. So, I changed my official Facebook status to "Engaged."
And just like that, everything changed. Facebook knew I was betrothed. And it didn't waste any time clogging up my news feed with ads like this:
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And this:
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And this:
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And now my right rail has nothing but wedding-related nonsense.
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The funny thing is, I don't remember seeing any sponsored posts on my feed before changing my status. (That's likely because I hadn't narrowed anything down in terms of interests or hobbies.)
It would be so nice to have an un-clogged feed again.
I've debated removing my "Engaged" status.
But, I worry doing that might confuse my network of friends.
Alas, life's tough choices...