onedef92
07-21-2011, 11:48am
There is no ‘divorce’ in the Google Plus world
Updated: Jul 10, 2011 7:02 AM EDT
Divorcees, you are not welcome in the Google Plus social network. Or, at least, you're not welcome to announce your riven relationship there.
For the first time ever, Google is asking its users about their relationship status. Along with occupation, education, places you've lived, and contact information, the Google + profile page has boxes for your "relationship" and what you're "looking for."
Out of curiosity, I compared the Facebook and Google options when it comes to relationship status.
Where Facebook has a blank, Google acknowledges that you might not want to share your relationship status online. But Google apparently assumes that there are certain statuses you definitely do not want to share.
While Facebook offers up "separated" and "divorced" as relationship status options, Google does not. Does the company's "do no evil" motto extend to encouraging its users not to walk out on their spouses?
This ignores the fact that, according to the most recent survey information from the U.S. Census Bureau, 10% of the population is divorced. Perhaps the Google Goggles are too rose-colored: Google has been criticized before for ignoring the possibility of familial strife.
When the company inserted "Call Dad" reminders into people's Gmail accounts on Father's Day, some users with daddy issues were offended. One wrote: "I'm sure in a Google-designed childhood everyone would be loved, protected, and nurtured to be the best little software engineer he/she can be. However, I don't appreciate the reminder of my unpleasant childhood and presumption that I want to speak to my father."
Perhaps Google took that to heart, and left "divorced" and "separated" out so as not to remind users of their unfortunate relationship statuses?
When it comes to the politics of relationships, though, Google got it right, offering both "civil unions" and "domestic partnerships," in recognition in the varying legal options from state to state. Facebook started offering that as a relationship option just a few months ago.
Updated: Jul 10, 2011 7:02 AM EDT
Divorcees, you are not welcome in the Google Plus social network. Or, at least, you're not welcome to announce your riven relationship there.
For the first time ever, Google is asking its users about their relationship status. Along with occupation, education, places you've lived, and contact information, the Google + profile page has boxes for your "relationship" and what you're "looking for."
Out of curiosity, I compared the Facebook and Google options when it comes to relationship status.
Where Facebook has a blank, Google acknowledges that you might not want to share your relationship status online. But Google apparently assumes that there are certain statuses you definitely do not want to share.
While Facebook offers up "separated" and "divorced" as relationship status options, Google does not. Does the company's "do no evil" motto extend to encouraging its users not to walk out on their spouses?
This ignores the fact that, according to the most recent survey information from the U.S. Census Bureau, 10% of the population is divorced. Perhaps the Google Goggles are too rose-colored: Google has been criticized before for ignoring the possibility of familial strife.
When the company inserted "Call Dad" reminders into people's Gmail accounts on Father's Day, some users with daddy issues were offended. One wrote: "I'm sure in a Google-designed childhood everyone would be loved, protected, and nurtured to be the best little software engineer he/she can be. However, I don't appreciate the reminder of my unpleasant childhood and presumption that I want to speak to my father."
Perhaps Google took that to heart, and left "divorced" and "separated" out so as not to remind users of their unfortunate relationship statuses?
When it comes to the politics of relationships, though, Google got it right, offering both "civil unions" and "domestic partnerships," in recognition in the varying legal options from state to state. Facebook started offering that as a relationship option just a few months ago.