The Pitfalls of De-Friending

Peer pressure just one of the social aspects that translates well to Facebook and the like
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 25, 2008 4:14 PM CST
The Pitfalls of De-Friending
The pressure to add someone as a Facebook friend, or to de-friend them, can be much like the worse things you remember about high school.   (©Bart Claeys)

De-friending is an unfortunate reality for social networks. It happens for many reasons, but is always awkward. Here are some de-friending stories from Mashable (names have been changed to protect the embarrassed):

  • Social opportunists: Andrew got a friend request from Jane, who he didn’t know but was friends with many of his friends. Turns out, she just wanted them all to join her business networking group.

  • Don’t use my life against me: Doug fell behind a little on a project, to which a colleague responded by bringing up photos of his weekend rafting trips received via social network to shame him. So de-friended!
  • Best friend’s ex-girlfriend: Chris de-friended his best friend’s girlfriend after they broke up, but it got him roped into their post-breakup drama: “How can you say, ‘Let’s be friends’ and then ask Chris to de-friend me on Facebook?” the ex complained to Chris’ friend.
Click the link for the complete list.
(More social networking stories.)

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