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10 Good, Bad & Ugly Reasons to Unfriend Someone on Facebook

NewsPublished May 18, 2012
By Mary Hawkins
facebook unfriend

While it's definitely a good thing that Facebook offers an "unfriend" option, sometimes people tend to get a little bit carried away with it. I guess the concept seems harmless enough -- because we need to have control over who we communicate with in the social media space. But considering how much Facebook has changed the way we socialize with friends, hitting the unfriend button can also have lasting consequences on our relationships.

Unfriending someone on Facebook is basically like staring them in the face and saying, "I could care less about you and have no interest in talking to you ever again," so you have to be selective about using the feature for sure. Because once it's done, it's done -- there's no reverse button (last time I checked).

To help you decide whether or not to sever ties with your peeps for good, here are 5 acceptable reasons to unfriend someone on Facebook, plus 5 incredibly stupid reasons to do so.

Perfectly Good Reasons to Unfriend on Facebook:

1. Being Overly Negative -- If there are people who bring you down and make you feel bad about your life because they constantly bitch and moan & never have anything remotely positive to say, it's probably best to cut ties with them for good. The last thing you need is bad energy surrounding you.

2. Getting Stalker-ish -- C'mon, we've all had that one friend who comments on EVERY single status update, photo, link, etc. we post, regardless of what it is. If someone has enough time on their hands to follow every single move you make -- well, that's just creepy and weird.

3. Overuse of Profanity -- You may want to unfriend people who constantly swear and use profanity for every other word in their status. (I swear, but try not to go overboard.) But the people who update their status over and over again with something resembling: "Fu&% it all! Sh*#! Damn it all to hell!" Yeah -- go ahead and hit unfriend.

4. Serious Wrongdoing -- If someone sleeps with your spouse, steals money from you, or does some other unspeakable act against you -- unfriend for sure. Like right now.

5. When Blocking Isn't Enough -- There are definitely alternatives to cutting someone out of your life entirely, as you can simply block them from seeing your status updates and posts. But if preventing them from seeing what you're doing on a daily basis still seems like too much of a risk and you can't stand the thought of them having any idea what you're up to, then unfriend is probably your only option. If you despise them that much, they shouldn't be on your friend list in the first place.

Really Bad Reasons to Unfriend on Facebook:

1. Political Differences -- Do you believe how heated some people get over this stuff? News flash -- everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and just because they disagree with you on the political front doesn't mean they aren't a good person. Try and respect their views and know their updates aren't a personal attack on you. Remember, the only way to get respect is to give it. Politics is no reason to lose a friend for good.

2. Having too little contact -- The whole point of Facebook is to connect with people you don't talk to very often. Getting rid of a friend because you both have busy lives is stupid and totally defeats the purpose of the site. Before you unfriend someone for being distant, think about the good times you've had with them in the past. Is that really something you want to forget?

3. To "stick it" to someone -- Don't use the Facebook unfriend feature to deliberately hurt someone you are upset with. Have the decency to talk it out with them first before hitting unfriend simply to prove a point.

4. Guilty by association -- This one really makes my blood boil. Just because you are mad at one person doesn't mean you should take it out on all of their friends and family members. Unfriending someone simply because you're mad at their spouse, sister, etc., is one of the lowest and lamest Facebook moves out there. We're all individuals, you know, and we deserve to be treated as such.

5. Sheer annoyance -- Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all have that one friend who posts 50 photos a day of her kid doing exactly the same thing over and over again. And while it's really annoying to see those updates pop up in our news feeds, keep in mind that she's just a proud mom who wants to share what is going on in her life. If it bothers you that much, simply hide her from your news feed -- don't cut her off for good, because she doesn't deserve it.

Bottom line when it comes to Facebook: If you are 100 percent positive that there is someone on your friend list with who you absolutely NEVER want to speak to again under any circumstances, then hitting unfriend is acceptable and makes sense. Unfriending on Facebook is the ultimate slap in the face, so before you go through with it, keep in mind that you are severing all ties to this person for the rest of your life. And make sure that's what you REALLY want, and that you won't wake up and regret your decision one day.

Have you ever unfriended anyone? What made you choose to do so?

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