Facebook. Everyone’s least favourite social media platform yet the one most of us can’t bear to drag ourselves away from. What is it about Facebook that has such a hold over us? Perhaps is the nostalgia surrounding it (at least for me) or the fact that we’re all nosy and keen to spy on what our friends from school who we never talk to are doing. But the fact is, Facebook can seriously suck at times.
I used to be OBSESSED with Facebook.
I was one of those annoying teenagers, updating her status ever 10 minutes and giving people a run through of my day. I joined every stupid group under the sun. I “poked” everyone I was friends with. I was that girl who posted various incoherent drunk statuses during every night out, only to regret it the next day.
Honestly, as much as a cherish some of the memories that pop up on my “on this day” feature on Facebook, a small part of me could literally die from how cringe I used to be.
Nowadays, I don’t use Facebook very much.
I have a Facebook page for my blog and I’m a member of a few really great Blogger Opportunities Facebook groups where I get collaborations and work from. So they’re really helpful and a great reason to stay on Facebook.
But the “social” side of the social media platform?
That’s pretty much gone down the drain for me.
I like people’s photos and statuses occasionally and share my own photos to my “2021” album but that’s about it. And I do the latter more so for myself, so I have memories and photos all in one place to look back on.
My Facebook friends list has ebbed and flowed over the years too. A good number of years ago, I started to get into the habit of whittling it down at the end of every year in my hope for that “fresh start” feeling. I don’t go out of my way to add people on Facebook anymore either.
Actually the last person I added was one of my boyfriend’s work mates who I added completely by accident. Cringe.
Facebook can be an extremely miserable and triggering place if you let it. I’ve certainly had moments scrolling through Facebook where I’ve come off the app feeling 10 times worse than I was before I went on it. Which is the reason for this post.
Because I can’t imagine I’m alone in that feeling.
Our online spaces need de-cluttering just as much as our physical space. And social media platforms definitely shouldn’t go under the radar. There’s a ton of reasons why you should de-clutter your friends on Facebook and here are a few of them.
8 reasons to de-clutter your Facebook friends:
You don’t talk to them anymore
Pretty simple and straight-forward one to start with. If you don’t talk to them, engage with them, interact with them in any way, then that’s a pretty slam-dunk reason to remove them from your friend’s list. If you don’t ever think about talking to them and it’s been years, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll want to.
They’re inactive
Over the years, lot of people choose to remove themselves from Facebook yet they might still show up on your friend’s list. These people are just unnecessary clutter because they’re not even active, so these people definitely should go!
You never liked them in the first place
Okay let’s be honest. None of us like EVERYONE on our Facebook friends list. Perhaps we added them at the time because they were a member of a group we hung around with but we never *really* liked them, we just tolerated them. If you’ve moved on and you still don’t really like them, get rid of them.
They’re triggering to you
This is mean a ton of things and I don’t necessarily mean triggering in an intentional way. There are a ton of things that people could do which can trigger others without meaning to. Posting baby photos, talking about weddings or just a certain person in general being triggering because of a memory. If that’s the case, don’t feel bad about removing them.
They only talk to you when they need something
I hate these people but unfortunately, we all have them or have had someone like this in our lives. If there’s something like this for you on your friends list, I’d highly recommend you removing them. It’ll make you feel better and it’ll also send the message to them that you’re not willing to put up with that crap anymore.
They unintentionally make you feel bad about yourself
Similarly to the triggering point I made but some people just make you feel bad about yourself don’t they? I had to un-follow someone on Instagram who made my self-esteem plummet and as someone that already suffers from low self esteem, I couldn’t take it anymore. It wasn’t anything they did, I just needed to do it for my own peace of mind.
You can’t remember who they are
Look. No judgment. I 100% can’t remember everyone on my Facebook friends list either. Sometimes when I’m doing my de-clutters, I’ll actively say “huh?” because I just can’t pin-point who they were. No shame. Just remove them. Chances are they don’t remember you either.
They’re from a part of your life you need to let go of
And finally, one that I think a lot of people will be able to relate to, especially if you’ve been on Facebook since you were a teenager, like I have. We go through a lot of seasons and phases of life. Not all of them good. And chances are you build up interactions with people over that time. If they’re from a period of your life you’ve let go or need to let go – then it’s okay to let them go too.
I’m sure there are many more reasons why you might want to or need to de-clutter your Facebook friends but I hope these suggestions help you the next time you come around to doing it. Remember, you should never feel guilty for mental health first when it comes to social media!
How often do you de-clutter your Facebook friends? Do you use any of these suggestions to help you narrow it down? Let me know in the comments!
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