Comments on: To Unfollow is Human http://33charts.com/2009/09/to-unfollow-is-human.html medicine. health. (social) media. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:24:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Dr. Gwenn http://33charts.com/2009/09/to-unfollow-is-human.html#comment-534 Dr. Gwenn Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:17:26 +0000 http://02d880f.netsolhost.com/2009/09/to-unfollow-is-human.html#comment-534 <p>Social media sites are social and we all form relationships together. We have to be mindful that the rules of social conduct offline do hold online. So, if you wouldn't make an annoucement of "unfriending" offline, don't do so online. </p> <p>Look at it like this. If you had a friend offline who you needed to part ways with, you'd do so quietly so as to not embarrass that person or the others in the community, or his or her family. So, why do we feel online we can break those social rules and announce things on twitter like "hey, just unfollowed a whole bunch of people or x, y, or z". </p> <p>I completely agree with you that unfollowing is sometimes necessary but has to be done so with the same social grace we would detach from someone offline. We are, after all, dealing with real people with real feelings. Just because we are online and faceless doesn't give us the freedom to be hurtful.</p> Social media sites are social and we all form relationships together. We have to be mindful that the rules of social conduct offline do hold online. So, if you wouldn't make an annoucement of "unfriending" offline, don't do so online.

Look at it like this. If you had a friend offline who you needed to part ways with, you'd do so quietly so as to not embarrass that person or the others in the community, or his or her family. So, why do we feel online we can break those social rules and announce things on twitter like "hey, just unfollowed a whole bunch of people or x, y, or z".

I completely agree with you that unfollowing is sometimes necessary but has to be done so with the same social grace we would detach from someone offline. We are, after all, dealing with real people with real feelings. Just because we are online and faceless doesn't give us the freedom to be hurtful.

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