Discovering an embarrassing photo of yourself on Facebook that was posted by your partner is never pleasant, as demonstrated here.Volkan Ünalan/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Your Twitter followers get a kick out of all your tweets about your partner's quirks. She, on the other hand, is not amused.
In a world where social media users share just about every moment in their lives, from what they've eaten for breakfast to milestone events like weddings and childbirth, it's tough to determine what's fair game and what's off-limits. For couples, the question of how much to share online has become a common source of friction, according to The New York Times.
Imagine your irritation if your partner confided to her best friend about your latest quarrel. Now, multiply that frustration accordingly if she broadcasts it to all 400 of her Facebook friends. As the Times reports, even sharing seemingly innocent moments, like a house repair or a botched dinner, can lead to embarrassment and bruised egos.
To deter such blabbering, some couples are setting boundaries on what's shareable as early as the first date, the Times says, describing such negotiations "a kind of social media pre-nup."
Others demand the right to approve comments and photographs before they are posted.
Remember when comedian Russell Brand tweeted a bleary-eyed photo of his then-wife Katy Perry (emphasis on "then")? Well, doctoral student Rebecca Gray can probably relate to Ms. Perry. Ms. Gray told the Times that her boyfriend once took a photo of her face slathered in a beauty mask, with eyes closed and mouth open wide, and posted it on Facebook.
When she discovered it, she said: "My jaw dropped. I tried to remove it, but I could only untag."
Her boyfriend now seeks her consent before posting photos of her.
Has your partner ever divulged too much about you online?
Wency Leung