Yet again, I find myself damning social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but this time it is for ruining face-to-face conversations.

We have all found out breaking news on social networking sites or, like me, became the last to know. I understand the reason I am damning social media websites is the very reason people have and check them quite frequently: to stay up to date with friends and family.

However, sometimes social sites like Facebook and Twitter are just spoiler alerts.

About a month ago, I decided to go for a pretty different hairstyle–meaning I cut most of it off. I was eager to surprise a friend here at Northern, but she had already seen photos on Facebook taken of me at a birthday party. The website stole my thunder even though I don’t have any type of social networking account. I miss the days when gossiping was conducted face to face or over the phone. At least then you can personally experience your friend’s reaction.

Sometimes, personal matters get leaked on the Internet and that can be just as bad, if not worse. For instance, what if you find out you got dumped when your ex-lover changes his or her relationship status from “in a relationship” to “single?” While I am no relationship expert, this might be something you should discuss face to face with your significant other, or should let your friends know about before you make it cyber official. I have seen it happen and I wondered how Facebook became such a big factor in our lives.

Social networking is a pretty powerful thing, but with power comes responsibility. We all must learn to wisely exercise that power. We all enjoy the freedom to post just about anything we want on the World Wide Web, but maybe we should deliver the personal matters ourselves, like in the good old days.

Don’t abuse social networking–it’s a wonderful thing, but it sure can be quite the conversation killer. While you might be busting at the seams to tell something the latest scoop, save it for a pair of ears.