That's right - in case you haven't heard, late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has deemed tomorrow, November 17, National Unfriend Day for Facebook users. His reasoning? That Facebook friending has gotten out of control and is diminishing the value of real friendship. I tend to agree.
Even I have found myself in the position of being something of a Facebook whore, willing to accept friend requests of nearly anyone who sends me one. Why? Because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. The vast majority of my Facebook friends are people who found me through one of my blogs, and although a small number of the people I've "met" via the blogosphere I've developed actual relationships with, the majority of them I have not and, chances are, won't. And while I'm flattered that anyone reading my blog liked what they read enough to want to friend me, the fact is that most of us really are probably just taking up space on each other's Friends Lists.
I think Facebook started out as a means to keep in touch with people we actually cared about, but it's evolved into something much, much bigger and more impersonal - and to some, I'm sure, it's an extension of the popularity contest we all took part in (or at least tried to, or dreamed of trying to) in high school. Maybe it's time to just stick with the people who actually matter to us.
Nobody likes being "unfriended," but let's put it into context: yeah, it hurts to be unfriended by someone you actually did consider a friend, but to be unfriended by a stranger? By someone whose status updates in your newsfeed never meant anything to you anyway? Eh, big deal.
So I'm ready to purge my list tomorrow. I think. Maybe. Probably. What about you?
I'm Moving - Please Follow Me!
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I'm calling it quits. Sort of.
When I started this blog a couple years ago, I envisioned a group of
friends sitting over virtual cups of coffee and tattere...
12 years ago
3 comments:
national unfriend day ... I'm game!
I actually go through and purge all the pages I've "liked" because at the time it was funny, and friends I gained through playing games, every now and then. it's probably time to do it again.
I also like to add people to my "blocked" list. that's kinda fun ;)
It's a good idea. I have around 300 people who I've never met but requested me because of the Ds common thread. Some of them I feel like I've really gotten to know and consider my friend but honestly most of them I have no idea who they are, where they live or what they look like. I should probably delete them. Hmmmmm . . . what to do? And I hope I'm not on that defriending list you are considering! :)
Don't you dare unfriend me!!!!!!
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