I Unfriend You.
Have you ever unfriended someone on Facebook? It's not Tuesday, but you can tell me. Come on, this is a safe place...
...you have, haven't you?
You jerk.
There are two kinds of people in this world. People who care about Facebook and other social medias, and people who care about what happens in the real world.
At least that's how I see it. Maybe I really do have the soul of a 98 year old man, but I just don't understand the big deal with Facebook. And I LOVE Facebook. But someone I used to, kind of, be friends with, maybe 10 years ago, unfriended me, who knows how long ago, and I just noticed.
It could have just happened, OR I didn't notice because I unfollowed her years ago. So long ago, in fact, that it used to be called hiding. Old school. I hid her. We were barely friends in real life. We never talked, we'd never really gotten to know each other, there was no point to us being Facebook friends. I didn't care to keep up with her life and she obviously felt the same. No harm, no foul.
This was an easy one because not only did we never have an online relationship, I never run into her. The last time I saw her was at a wedding 4 years ago. And maybe I should have just unfriended her. I honestly don't remember why I never did. But I hid her, and literally forgot all about her.
So why don't people unfriend more often? Why is this such a taboo thing?
The reason cited to me most often is because they don't want it to cause drama.
Seriously? Drama from who? The other person? The person who already annoys the hell out of you, or offends you with their posts, or gives you the creeps to the point where you'd want to unfollow or unfriend them on social media? That guy's going to cause drama? And you're going to care?! Why?!
I unfriended a creepy person who was creepy in real life and online, and then I blocked them because they're the persistent kind. The kind that won't take no for an answer, and will let their friend request sit for just long enough that you feel safe like they've forgotten it, and then they'll refresh it and put it back in your face.
I couldn't have that. I wanted to get on with my life. So I unfriend. I block. I was then confronted in person because this individual has absolutely no sense of self-preservation, because if you know me at all, you know you don't ever try and corner me and then tell me why I've done something wrong. Especially after you've broken protocol.
And when I tell people I did that, the reactions I get are so over the top, you'd think I stabbed someone. I followed the rules (if there are any rules to social media): I didn't make a thing of it. I didn't announce my plans. I didn't talk to people about it. I didn't message them to tell them why they were being unfriended (like I'm going to open that box of cats!).
But I had an answer ready because I knew they wouldn't be able to stay away. They totally confronted me. And you know what? It really wasn't that dramatic. Not for me anyway. I knew what I wanted and it was not to have that person creeping around in my online life, liking everything, commenting on all my stuff, no thank you.
So unfollow or unfriend. Obviously, one is more extreme than the other, but even if you do take the Facebook seriously, what's more important? Having an awkward moment when you unfriend someone or using social media to actually keep up with friends and interact with people who will add meaning to your life?
I'm probably the wrong person to ask.
...you have, haven't you?
You jerk.
There are two kinds of people in this world. People who care about Facebook and other social medias, and people who care about what happens in the real world.
At least that's how I see it. Maybe I really do have the soul of a 98 year old man, but I just don't understand the big deal with Facebook. And I LOVE Facebook. But someone I used to, kind of, be friends with, maybe 10 years ago, unfriended me, who knows how long ago, and I just noticed.
It could have just happened, OR I didn't notice because I unfollowed her years ago. So long ago, in fact, that it used to be called hiding. Old school. I hid her. We were barely friends in real life. We never talked, we'd never really gotten to know each other, there was no point to us being Facebook friends. I didn't care to keep up with her life and she obviously felt the same. No harm, no foul.
This was an easy one because not only did we never have an online relationship, I never run into her. The last time I saw her was at a wedding 4 years ago. And maybe I should have just unfriended her. I honestly don't remember why I never did. But I hid her, and literally forgot all about her.
So why don't people unfriend more often? Why is this such a taboo thing?
The reason cited to me most often is because they don't want it to cause drama.
Seriously? Drama from who? The other person? The person who already annoys the hell out of you, or offends you with their posts, or gives you the creeps to the point where you'd want to unfollow or unfriend them on social media? That guy's going to cause drama? And you're going to care?! Why?!
I unfriended a creepy person who was creepy in real life and online, and then I blocked them because they're the persistent kind. The kind that won't take no for an answer, and will let their friend request sit for just long enough that you feel safe like they've forgotten it, and then they'll refresh it and put it back in your face.
I couldn't have that. I wanted to get on with my life. So I unfriend. I block. I was then confronted in person because this individual has absolutely no sense of self-preservation, because if you know me at all, you know you don't ever try and corner me and then tell me why I've done something wrong. Especially after you've broken protocol.
And when I tell people I did that, the reactions I get are so over the top, you'd think I stabbed someone. I followed the rules (if there are any rules to social media): I didn't make a thing of it. I didn't announce my plans. I didn't talk to people about it. I didn't message them to tell them why they were being unfriended (like I'm going to open that box of cats!).
But I had an answer ready because I knew they wouldn't be able to stay away. They totally confronted me. And you know what? It really wasn't that dramatic. Not for me anyway. I knew what I wanted and it was not to have that person creeping around in my online life, liking everything, commenting on all my stuff, no thank you.
So unfollow or unfriend. Obviously, one is more extreme than the other, but even if you do take the Facebook seriously, what's more important? Having an awkward moment when you unfriend someone or using social media to actually keep up with friends and interact with people who will add meaning to your life?
I'm probably the wrong person to ask.
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