Recently I reported how the US military is using a Facebook-alike social networking system, and now I can follow that up with a Facebook makes love not war message. But it's not quite the good news it seems. Tony Blair has not decided to post a big 'I'm Sorry' message on his Facebook Wall. In fact, it appears that the lovers in this story are of the cheating variety.
If you have ever been tempted to cheat on a loved one, and thought that hooking up via Facebook would maybe be a 'safe' way to conduct such an illicit relationship you would certainly not be alone. At least if the research from an extra-marital dating site is to be believed that is. Of the 800 members of the IllicitEncounters site asked about being caught out, some 41% admitted that they had and that Facebook was directly involved. This comes on the back of statistics from an online divorce service in the US which has revealed that 20% of the divorce petitions held in its database included the keyword of Facebook.
Of course, despite the Facebook fuss the truth is that far more people will be caught out in a relationship lie by using their mobile phones, specifically text messaging. Apparently 61% of those surveyed by IllicitEncounters admitted that a text message had either incriminated them or aroused suspicion with their spouse.
Spokesperson for IllicitEncounters, Sara Hartley, says that while "text messages may more often incriminate cheaters" it is "Facebook where many of these seeds are sewn". According to Hartley, spouses often find themselves in regular contact with past girlfriends and long lost school friends leading them to become "retrosexual, trying to relight old flames".
Here's a thought. Rather than avoiding using Facebook to communicate with a lover, or even hooking up via a dedicated 'affairs dating' service, why not just be faithful? After all, isn't that kind of the point of being married or in a long term relationship? If not faithful, then maybe invest in a sex android now they have hit the market. If not then the chances are your significant other will find a good use for email: telling you that you're dumped.
