6 Polite Ways To Unfriend Someone On Social Media

In today's interconnected world, social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. It enables us to connect with friends, family, and acquaintances from all over the world, share our thoughts, and stay up-to-date with the latest news and trends. However, sometimes we might want to cut ties with someone on social media, whether it be due to a falling out, a difference in values, or simply wanting to declutter our online presence.

Unfriending someone on social media is a way to remove that person from our network, preventing them from seeing our posts and updates, and vice versa. While it might seem like a simple action, unfriending someone can have real-life consequences, especially if that person is someone we know in person or share mutual connections with.

Before unfriending someone, it's essential to consider the reasons behind our decision and whether it's worth severing that online connection. It's also important to be respectful and considerate when doing so, as unfriending someone can come across as a harsh and hurtful action. Ultimately, the decision to unfriend someone on social media should be based on what is best for our mental health and overall well-being.

# Don’t announce

It could be that you are unfriending a whole group of people simply because you are on a “cutting” spree. Go ahead and do that but social media manners say not to make an announcement about it. So, avoid unnecessary fanfare.

# Inform

Before you unfriend someone, let the person know in private that you are doing so. Explain to him that it is best not to stay in touch anymore and go ahead and make your move after that. This is going to be one hard thing to do but, that’s up to you if you can do it.

# Feign ignorance

Go ahead and unfriend the person. If you ever do happen to bump into this person in flesh and blood later then just feign ignorance. “I’m sure it happened when my account got hacked. I’ll send you a request again,” would be a good answer to give in a situation like this.

# Don’t unfriend – stay friends

People do fall out in life, but everything need not get acrimonious and bitter. Maybe with a little bit of maturity, you will be able to let him “stay” in your “friend list”. It is not that he will come out of the virtual medium and eat you up just because both of you don’t talk anymore. So, let him just be. Rather just:

- Unfollow him – only because someone follows you, you are not obligated to follow him back

- Change your settings so that his updates don’t pop up on your timeline

- Control who can see your posts by choosing the correct option before you hit the “post” button

# Don’t switch on and switch off

It is one thing to unfriend or block a person and another to want to unblock and make him your friend after a few days once again. That is childish.

If you must play it right, then give yourself some time and be sure that unfriending is really what you want to do. Take the step only when you are sure of yourself. This is more so when it comes to people who you have to otherwise be in touch with in real life – like, for example, batchmates, work colleagues etc.

# Run!

Okay, so you find the person who you have unfriended is walking up to you. What do you do? Put on your sneakers and run for your life. Yes, that was a joke. You can smile now. Life is not so tough, so don’t make it one.

If you want to ensure someone doesn’t see your posts without blocking, then ensure you change privacy and visibility settings.