You’ve gone through the trouble of vetting someone on Facebook, approved their friend request, and seen their updates in your news feed. So why do people unfriend on Facebook?
To friend or unfriend on Facebook?
While 82% of people add someone as a friend on Facebook because they know them in real life (tweet this), just because you know someone doesn’t mean you want to be friends with them on Facebook.
For example, I could know someone in real life, but once I’ve connected with them on Facebook, I might learn new things about them that I don’t particularly like. This can include political views, their posting strategy (sharing too many Internet memes or chain letter content), or simply because they post content that doesn’t add any value to my current relationship with them.
In this situation, if you find that someone’s habits on Facebook are unbecoming, it might be time to start to unfriend them.
Why people unfriend on Facebook – the infographic
This infographic goes over some of the main reasons why someone adds some as a friend and also why they unfriend on Facebook.
What happens when I unfriend someone on Facebook?
Once you’ve decided that it’s time to unfriend someone on Facebook, what happens? Does the world stop, will they not like you in real life?
A note about unfriending:
When you unfriend someone on Facebook, nothing happens. No notifications. No emails are sent to them. Nada.
While you may tarnish your relationship with them and lead to having to answer the question if you received their friend request, you can safely unfriend someone without any online penalty.
Benefits of unfriending on Facebook
For some reason, people look at unfriending someone on Facebook like it’s a bad thing. It’s not. There’s no rule that says you have to friend everyone on you know in real life on Facebook. The key thing I recommend is to be selective on who you friend.
Facebook can be a valuable resource for growing your friendships. It can also help you network better. If your news feed is showing updates that aren’t adding value to your day (such as Internet memes, chain letters, copy this and repost, etc), know that you’re giving away your time and getting very little in return.
Question: What are some reasons you personally unfriend someone on Facebook? You can leave a comment by clicking here.