From Yahoo News.

LONDON (Reuters) – Digital dumping is on the rise, according to a survey, with growing numbers of people preferring to use email and social networking Web sites to break up with their partners. Over one third of 2,000 people polled (34 percent) said they had ended a relationship by email, 13 percent had changed their status on Facebook without telling their partners and six percent had released the news unilaterally on Twitter. By contrast, only two percent had broken up via a mobile phone text. The rest had split up the old-fashioned way by face-to-face conversation (38 percent) and by telephone (eight percent). “Digital Dumping will soon take over when it comes to ending a relationship,” said Sean Wood, Marketing Manager for DateTheUk dating service for whom the survey was carried out. “It’s often easier, quicker and avoids any misunderstandings.”

I am a big fan of technology and believe that humans can use it properly to augment and enhance relationships, at least at a superficial level. But here is a classic misuse/abuse of technology to insulate us from embarrassment or to help us avoid unpleasant situations that we do not wish to face head-on.

I note with interest the comment above from Sean Wood about “digital dumping.” Easier? Avoids misunderstandings? Really? Sounds like an excuse to avoid taking responsibility for our own actions. Ending a relationship is hard enough. Adding insult to injury by doing it indirectly in a digital environment is frankly inexcusable and cowardly. Then again, I have no strong opinions on this matter.