"Whereas the tourist generally hurries back home at the end of a few weeks or months, the traveler, belonging no more to one place than the next, moves slowly, over periods of years from one part of the earth to another." -Paul Bowles
Sunday, 25 July 2010
The Unfriend
I've been doing a bit of Facebook clean out the last few days. I'm 'unfriending' people who I never speak to, who I perhaps added as a result of one or two meetings, as well as those acquaintences who only seem to come onto my page to insult me. The problem with Facebook friends is that only a small minority of them are actually that. Most of the people you link with don't really know you very well, and vice versa. You often link with folks who aren't very mature, and can't grasp the idea that it's ok to agree to disagree. I have a lot of strong, sometimes controversial opinions, which have their place. I don't voice them at work, or among certain family, but I do sometimes talk about them on Facebook. I'm often amazed by the lack of respect others show for an opinion differing from theirs. On the other hand, the bonus is that, while in a new country and trying to make new connections and friends, I can easily suss out the ones that I'm not interested in keeping by posting an occasional opinion;)
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6 comments:
I have found the same thing on my facebook. People who I only had a passing knowledge of in high school or various acquaintances over the years have added me and like in the past, I never hear from them or about them. What's the point? I find myself wrestling with my voyeuristic tendencies to know what everyone is doing and my need to just be over it already and concentrate on people who are still an active part of my life. Such is the way with social media though. We are connected to everyone all the time so long as we use it.
I'm loving your blog by the way!
Yeah. I just don't get that whole being rude to people on the internet thing. I mean...how cowardly is that?
Thanks Felicia.
Arizaphale, didn't even think of the cowardly aspect.
I realized the same thing several months ago. Like people with over 1000 "friends" or even hundreds? Come on. Who wants that many people privy to every picture of your kids, you after 3 too many margaritas, etc. I deleted everyone I don't speak to on a regular basis and I'm under 100 friends now, real friends!
Strangely enough, I was speaking to Paula only yesterday about "thinning out" my friends list on FB. Yes, the majority of them I have in fact met in person (I think I only have 2 that I haven't - and one of them we do speak about football regularly, so he is staying), but some of them have moved on and I will never ever see them again unless I bump into them in the street, as I wouldn't chose them for a friend, so they are going too. I also have some people, again, work or ex work colleagues who are on a different planet to myself and write in the worst kind of chav "text speak" (Susan, I can tell you the name of one to look at on my friends list if you want to see what I mean) I hate trying to read that stuff - and then there is the final group, of which I am glad you are a member, actual friends, whom I have met and will either continue to meet or will stay in contact with no matter what the distance is (particularly true in the case of Steve & yourself) - You guys are stuck with me keeping you! :-)
Will definitely get around to a clearout sometime soon, I just,well, don't want to close someone off and find they get offended - know what I mean? I am one who cannot be easily be described as a "keyboard warrior" a person who is all macho and able to throw out insults from the internet, but would shrink from a real world argument - I just don't like the thought of hurting someones feelings by unfriending them.
Cheers!
Love 'keyboard warrior'. Fantastic phrase!
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