Social media is a truly unique phenomenon, which, once having started as a comparatively small concept, has grown to become a crucial part of every person’s social life. In her article “It’s Time to Unfriend and Unfollow on Social Media,” Nicole Dieker (2017) explains that the tendency to expand one’s online circle of friends ad infinitum is quite unhealthy, and suggests several strategies for decluttering one’s social media account. According to the author, although the process of unfriending others might be quite uncomfortable, it is an essential step toward healthier online relationships.
The concept of culling, which suggests either muting or unfollowing people online, implies gaining several crucial benefits. For example, Dieker (2017) asserts that culling leads to better emotional health. Likewise, culling helps to reduce the time that one is likely to spend browsing a range of unnecessary data. Therefore, the specified step should be regarded as a necessary change for maintaining one’s emotional well-being. Moreover, Dieker (2017) explains that culling does not necessarily mean severing ties with people forever. Instead, the author suggests muting or using other tools available within the target social network to minimize the extent of personal interactions with a specific individual. The described strategy is particularly useful when the threat of being entangled in an online conflict or becoming a victim of cyberbullying emerges.
Despite the possibility of certain emotional discomfort caused by unfriending people on social media, the specified change is also vital for one’s emotional and psychological well-being since it helps to reduce the scope of one’s online interactions significantly. As a result, one is likely to create a much healthier online environment and maintain relationships with the people that matter. Therefore, the process of online culling within the social media environment should be deemed as a necessary step toward maintaining one’s emotional health.
Reference
Dieker, N. (2017). It’s time to unfriend and unfollow on social media.