Facebook Does Not Want to Get You Laid
Facebook has long been the wet blanket of social networks. Its latest bucket of cold water: No more searching for people by relationship status. Because then you might conceivably get laid, and we can't have that.
You can still use Facebook dating apps, as AllFacebook.com points out, but those usually want to make you pay money eventually. Of course, it's not like random profile searches are the best avenue to a romantic liaison. But the prim change to Facebook's search system fits neatly into the social network's uptight culture: First it was only for Harvard students, then Ivy Leaguers, then college kids; to this day, your profile is, by default, shielded from the general public and even most other Facebook users. (We asked the company's flacks for comment and have yet to hear back.)
While Facebook has been defined by the nerdy engineering culture of Silicon Valley, and of founder Mark Zuckerberg, competitor MySpace was started by a spam and spyware company, promoted itself in seedy nightclubs, hosted events for aspiring models and eagerly recruited Tila Tequila away from Friendster as an early member. Though owner News Corp. is struggling to turn the site around, it must take some comfort in the fact that Facebook is as prudish as ever.
