by Elisha Rosencrans

Created on: October 02, 2009   Last Updated: October 03, 2009

Facebook is a program that defines our generation. While it is a very useful way of staying in touch with friends, family, and co-workers, it can get carried away. Most of us accept every friend request that comes in, without thinking too much about it. We don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, right? However, there are some situations where deleting a friend can be very smart.

Today, I will list out a few situations where deleting a friend is a smart idea. If you feel bad about deleting someone, just remember that there will be no notification sent to them letting them know that you deleted them. It is also not permanent. You can always re-friend a person later on if it feels right.

1. Broken relationships

Let's say that you and your significant other just broke up. It is very, very tempting to continue to be friends with them so that you can keep tabs on them, but that is very detrimental to your ability to move on. If you are always looking at who he/she is talking to, what pictures they have been tagged in, and what they've been up to since you've been gone, you will start focusing on your own life less.

When my first love and I broke up, I was addicted to checking up on him via facebook. I knew that calling or texting him wouldn't be the best thing for me to do, so I justified checking his facebook page. However, when you think about it, it's really the same thing. The more and more I looked at how well he was doing without me, the more it hurt. It killed me to look at all the fun he was having in pictures, and how many other girls were talking to him. After a while, I decided enough is enough!

After I hit the delete button, a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I felt free, like I could now go on with my life without checking up on his. It was the best thing I did to help me cope with the breakup. I recommend doing this ASAP after a breakup. You need to be focusing on your own life, not theirs.

2. Fren-emies

Let's face it, not all friends are really on your side. Let's say that you just got a new job, and wanted to tell people on your status. Most of your friends say "congratulations" or "good luck" and your so-called friend says something snotty like "it's about time you got a job, lazy". It's very hard to tell if someone is being sarcastic or not when you're just reading their words, but nevertheless, it's rude.

These kind of people like to steal your thunder and make the focus on themselves. These kind of people aren't on your side. It's best to delete these kind of people before they continue these mean acts.

3. The boss

I don't care what people say, being friends with your boss on Facebook is not okay. It may be a good idea to be friends with co-workers, but regardless of your boss's "easy-going" personality, they are still your boss. They may not think that picture of you doing a keg stand is as cute as you do. At the end of the day, you need to be a professional, and it's best to not be friends with them.

I hope these tips help you out and further increase your Facebook enjoyment. Keep these tips in mind the next time you have a friend request, and save yourself some trouble.

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