Facebook Frenemies

I hate Facebook … and most people that know me know I hate Facebook. I think its voyeuristic like Jerry Springer, but far more personal. I’ve been reluctant to post anything remotely intimate about my life whatsoever, instead posting funny videos and images when I can be bothered. The reason for my hesitation is not concern for my ‘digital footprint’ or uncertainty about my privacy settings. I never post my blog articles on Facebook as I know many ‘friends’ would be very willing critics. The cause of my Facebook inactivity … Facebook Frenemies.

The urban dictionary defines a frenemy as ‘a friend, yet an enemy’. We all have these people in our lives … and most of us will have several of them connected on Facebook. They are perfectly pleasant to you should you run into them, but you know they are happy to gossip about you or see you screw up in some way. True friends are like a fanclub … frenemies are the opposite, feeding off your Fb updates for material to bitch about.

So I decided to delete a few of them. Suddenly I feel happier, more relaxed and more willing to post on Facebook! I was surprised how differently I felt about Zuckerberg’s social network. There must be a psychological effect of dropping someone who is a burden or makes you feel like they might be waiting for you to trip up. So, just DELETE THEM.

We all know people who have 500+ Facebook friends. More fool them. It is about quality, not quantity. The more carefully you choose your connections, the more you will enjoy online social networking and the more useful and positive it becomes. You can be yourself, and keep the people that are a negative influence on your life at a distance. Out of sight, out of mind is true online as well!

Why have the girl that dumped you years ago as a connection, or the guy that took you for granted. Delete the frenemy who you will never call but might bump into at a bar once in a blue moon. Get rid of anyone that can’t keep their word, celebrates other peoples’ misfortune or claims to be your friend but is also mates with someone you absolutely despise.

I believe this is a healthy exercise. Delete the frenemies wherever you find them. Facebook, LinkedIn, un-circle them in G+, block them in Twitter. It is bad enough bumping into them unexpectedly in the real world, don’t carry them around with you online as well!