Social media is great. I get
to keep in touch with people from my younger years and see what they're up to
week-to-week, day-to-day, and even minute-to-minute. Even if they're
checking in from "the throne."
On the other hand, it can sometimes
make me feel like I've been magically transported back to my teenage years
where one of your closest friends all of a sudden won't speak to you and you
have no idea what you've done. I know we've all been there and damn social
media to hell for making us re-live that shit again.
This time around, there isn't really
the ability to go up and confront your friend and ask what's up. In fact,
you might be sitting at your computer wondering, "What ever happened to
so-and-so? I never see any posts from him." Then you look and
find out that he's no longer a part of your friend list and you scratch your
head and wonder how long it's been since he stopped being your friend and then
you ponder the even bigger question of the day, what did you do to receive the
dishonor of being unfriended?
I get that some people like to purge
their friend list because they like to keep things clean by only having close
and/or active participants in the world of social media. Or maybe you've
said something that goes completely against their views or they vehemently
disagree with you in general and have hit that "unfriend" button to
show you just how they feel. Whatever the reason, it's really a shame
that it happens and people are completely unaware of when and why; without so
much as the opportunity to talk about it.
In this day and age, it seems like
all we do is communicate by text, e-mail, social media, etc. No one
really talks to each other much anymore. I'm guilty of it as well.
If we're not going to talk to each other, then why don't the various social
media outlets have something where you would know that a.) someone has
un-friended you and b.) the reason why you're no longer privy to their daily
exploits instead of hiding behind the passive-aggressive act of ending a
friendship by pushing a simple button? It's the least these tools can provide
since they're contributing to the anti-social behavior.
You might be reading this thinking,
"Why do you let it bother you so much? Let it go, it's not a big
deal." Well, my friends (yes, I'm speaking to those that are still
on my friend list--and hell, even those that have self-selected out of my life
without so much as a goodbye), here's a wonderful bulleted list for you:
- I accepted or sent you a friend request because I truly want to be friends with you on social media even if I am not active every day, hour, or minute or "like" or comment on every post or picture you have. Who has that kind of time? Sometimes I just like to read what you're up to.
- You are important and social media has made it easy to keep in touch with you and to keep up on how you're doing.
- I truly feel a sense of loss when you unfriend me without so much as a reason why. I think about it for a few days and sometimes longer. IT BOTHERS ME THAT MUCH.
- I am not a mind-reader and would love to know when I've done something that offended or hurt you. I don't set out every day to do so and I'm sure you don't, either. Please reach out before hitting that "unfriend" button.
- I accept your eccentricities, even if they drive me to drink or are completely opposite of what I would do and I hope you would accept mine as well.
Social
media is in our lives and it makes it easy to connect to each other. On
the other hand, it also makes it easy to disconnect with each other.
Hopefully you'll think twice before unfriending someone or at least take the
less-traveled and often riddled-with-potholes high road to give them an
explanation on why you are choosing to remove them from your daily life.
Sometimes it's hard to have the conversation, but it's important to remember
that we all have feelings. Even though it may be an easy button-pushing
process for you, chances are it's causing some kind of grief on the other end.
