Unfortunately for some, the heartbreak of a called-off engagement seems to become of public interest when your relationship makes its rounds on the internet rather than just being water-cooler banter. And what ends up adding insult to injury is the immediacy and publicity of announcing said split via Facebook.

This is what happened to Politico’s “celeb” couple Jay Westcott, a staff photographer, and Madeline Marshall, a video producer for the company after becoming engaged in June of this year. The break up was, as most are, filled with frustration and sadness but what seemed like a simple adjustment, Marshell changing her relationship status on Facebook from “engaged” to “single, became the launching pad for a social media swarm. The couple’s private deal soon spun into a tailspin via the interwebs, with Westcott barely holding his composure together.

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Westcott, like any irate ex would probably do, began to badger Marshell’s page. He commented “That was easy for you.” on the relationship change and started mocking her profile photo. He also took to his own page, penning statuses documenting his hardships. For him, there was more than collateral damage to the split, with the car he used being shared between the two and how he was “stuck in the apartment we called home.”

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    Facebook began pouring sympathy his way, supporting him and making sure that the split could be made easier for him. But one thing Facebook can’t help with is a harsh period at the end of the relationship. Westcott can’t even return the ring.   [mediabistro]

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