At the height of my friendship count on Facebook I was right around 230. Over the last several months I have reduced that number to the neighborhood of 150. It has been a bit of a roller coaster as it felt great after the first round when I eliminated all those "acquaintances" with whom I never interacted.
The second round was the toughest. I decided I wanted my Facebook experience to be positive, encouraging, and interactive. This meant I "de-friended" some people that are important to my life but more judgmental than I care to admit. It meant that I cut off people I've known since high school because they're "never on Facebook." I struggled with it because I was afraid these people would notice. The vast majority did not and those that did confirmed for me why I had made the cut.
The last round I finished this weekend. I de-friended the lurkers, as well meaning as they may be, because I'm on Facebook for relationships that are a two way street. Much apologies to my loving aunts and uncles that have as many friends as people in our family, but you don't get to spy on my life without giving me a glimpse into what's going on with you. I found myself more comfortable with this final cut because the previous rounds had proven to improve my experience online.
I went to my friends list and tweaked my categories of friends. Right now, I'm really happy. If anyone noticed they were cut, they are welcome to call and have a conversation. Actually, I'd love nothing more than to truly connect.
Subtraction is a good thing and, for me, less Facebook friends truly is a more enjoyable experience.
i've thought of reducing my fb friend too. I'm rarely on anyway. So how does it work? Would they receive an "unfriend request" email? I'd feel pretty bad about that...
ReplyDeleteYou can go to your friends list and choose to "unfollow" them or click the "friends" box to uncheck it. They will not receive any notifications of your changes.
ReplyDelete