Recently, I unfriended several people on Facebook and it got me thinking, do other people do this? Am I being too brash?
You’d be surprised how much you enjoy your newsfeed without having to scroll through photos from people you hardly know (or don’t know at all), your estranged family member’s rants, people sharing the latest cat video or BuzzFeed article that you care nothing about.
I like to go on the network and be able to appreciate all the wonderfulness that Facebook offers to its users. Yes, I do want to see when my cousin looks like a boss at a party or when my mom is with my dad watching the sunset on the beach. Every day we’re inundated with a constant flow of digital information, it can become overwhelming if you don’t maintain it.
Here are a few of the reasons to ‘unfriend’ someone on Facebook:
1. They’re a high school (even worse, middle school) acquaintance you don’t plan on ever seeing again in your life.
2. The only reason they’re friends with you on Facebook is to stalk your life (and vice versa).
3. You don’t know them. At all.
4. They’re friends with an ex. (This is a tricky one, albeit necessary if you don’t want to see photos and news about your ex pop up all over the place)
5. You ARE an ex. The first thing I did when breaking up with the last guy is get rid of all social reminders of our relationship. Moving on is important, why keep digital evidence online to remind you of something that didn’t work out or for you and all of your friends to see?
6. This person writes your paycheck. There’s no reason to be friends with your boss on Facebook – save that for LinkedIn. Unless your boss is Jacqui Liberman, of course 😉
7. They invite you to 1,000,000 events per week.
8. You play this little game I like to play and lose.
A former Genie once taught me a great way to slim down your friend list on a regular basis. Each day, see whose birthday it is and ask yourself if you want to remain connected on Facebook. If any of the above apply, think about unchecking that ‘Friends’ box.
