Delete and Disengage - Computers influence relationships
Social media makes it easier to stay in touch with people, or it makes it seem like it is easier. However, it has also fostered the ability to delete and disengage with any friend that may post something upsetting. A simple offense, even one that the friend in question didn’t realize was taken, and there doesn’t have to be a discussion. There doesn’t have to be a “hurt my feelings” talk. There doesn’t even have to be an acknowledgment by either person that the friendship is over. There just needs to be a click of the mouse and the friend is removed from the news feed.
Unfriending a Friend
The most straight forward way to eliminate a friend from a circle of friends on Facebook is to unfriend him or her. No one has to know. It is an easy click on the friend’s profile, another click on the “friend” box and a confirmation. Once it is done. The friend is deleted from the newsfeed of the person doing the unfriending. Even better, there is never an actual confrontation, and the deleted friend may not even notice that he or she has been unfriended.
This way is straight forward because there are a couple of ways that the friend may be alerted to an unfriending. A noticeable lack of feed posts from the unfriender’s page, being on the unfriender’s page and seeing the button that says “Send a Friend Request” or attempting to send a message and being told that the message will go into a separate inbox. Unfriending someone sends the message that the relationship is over if the person who has been unfriended takes the time to look.
Unfollowing a Friend
Unfollowing is a more passive-aggressive approach to friend management for Facebook. By clicking on a the arrow that is attached to a post in the upper right hand corner and clicking “Unfollow,” the person doing the clicking eliminates any posts form that person. However, they are still friends according to Facebook, which means that the person who has been unfollowed can still see the posts of the person who did the unfollowing. There is no indication of a problem, and no reason for the unfollowed to suspect anything unless he or she keeps track of which friends are liking things and how often. Unfollowing is like getting the reverse silent treatment – the kind that comes from blessed silence with no real repercussions.
Friends and Tweeting
As long as people are following enough other people, businesses or whatever, the Twitter feed is not something a person should have to worry about when it comes to friends. There are usually enough posts in between that it should never be a real problem to essentially avoid the other person. Even if the other person cannot be avoided, it’s okay because they can only say things in 140 characters. Those are easily skipped over. They can also be unfollowed for a more straight forward approach.
Real Relationships
As much as anyone would want to say anything differently, real friendships come with difficulties. They are based on two people, and even if those two people finish each other’s sandwiches, there will still be problems in the relationship. Social media has made it easier to believe that friends can be found and discarded with a simple click, but real friends will be around long after Facebook gets replaced, and they will be there to give you a real hug when you need one.
Unfriending a Friend
The most straight forward way to eliminate a friend from a circle of friends on Facebook is to unfriend him or her. No one has to know. It is an easy click on the friend’s profile, another click on the “friend” box and a confirmation. Once it is done. The friend is deleted from the newsfeed of the person doing the unfriending. Even better, there is never an actual confrontation, and the deleted friend may not even notice that he or she has been unfriended.
This way is straight forward because there are a couple of ways that the friend may be alerted to an unfriending. A noticeable lack of feed posts from the unfriender’s page, being on the unfriender’s page and seeing the button that says “Send a Friend Request” or attempting to send a message and being told that the message will go into a separate inbox. Unfriending someone sends the message that the relationship is over if the person who has been unfriended takes the time to look.
Unfollowing a Friend
Unfollowing is a more passive-aggressive approach to friend management for Facebook. By clicking on a the arrow that is attached to a post in the upper right hand corner and clicking “Unfollow,” the person doing the clicking eliminates any posts form that person. However, they are still friends according to Facebook, which means that the person who has been unfollowed can still see the posts of the person who did the unfollowing. There is no indication of a problem, and no reason for the unfollowed to suspect anything unless he or she keeps track of which friends are liking things and how often. Unfollowing is like getting the reverse silent treatment – the kind that comes from blessed silence with no real repercussions.
Friends and Tweeting
As long as people are following enough other people, businesses or whatever, the Twitter feed is not something a person should have to worry about when it comes to friends. There are usually enough posts in between that it should never be a real problem to essentially avoid the other person. Even if the other person cannot be avoided, it’s okay because they can only say things in 140 characters. Those are easily skipped over. They can also be unfollowed for a more straight forward approach.
Real Relationships
As much as anyone would want to say anything differently, real friendships come with difficulties. They are based on two people, and even if those two people finish each other’s sandwiches, there will still be problems in the relationship. Social media has made it easier to believe that friends can be found and discarded with a simple click, but real friends will be around long after Facebook gets replaced, and they will be there to give you a real hug when you need one.