by Scott Hayden

Created on: June 18, 2010   Last Updated: April 19, 2012

A Facebook account is set up for the purpose of networking, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. Your list of friends can grow faster than you expect. Before you know it you could have friends whom you have never seen in real life, or maybe there's a person you met once but it was so far in the past that you can't remember exactly when or where the introduction took place. There could be a thousand reasons why you would defriend somebody on Facebook. Here are the important ones.

Incessant and Mundane Updates

Facebook friends who are revealing the tiniest, most inconsequential details of their lives clog up your news feed, and this is annoying. This isn't the sort of information that's newsworthy or thought-provoking. Taking a bath or making a cup of coffee doesn't make a person more interesting, and it won't alter the course of world events.

Playing Games and Taking Quizzes

While these can be amusing at first, it can become boring awfully fast when somebody is posting this information on a regular basis. Some Facebook users take Farmville and Mafia Wars far too seriously, and these games don't give a clear understanding of what a person is like in real life. Who cares if somebody was Leonardo da Vinci in a past life? Does it really make a difference which Sex and the City character this person is?

Political and Religious Affiliations

People have the right to believe whatever they choose. They can let the rest of the world know how they feel and try to engage others in discourse. However, opinions can become rants and Facebook isn't the best place to try to change people's minds about political and religious issues. Facebook is a social networking site, and everybody should get along. If two individuals can't get along, it's best to walk away.

Empty Relationships

Everyone has Facebook friends they don't need. A handful of them are probably classmates you haven't seen or spoken to in more than fifteen years. After such a long period it's likely you don't have anything in common with these people anymore. There are friends of friends, who could be typing in status updates that don't affect or even interest you. Somewhere in your Facebook network there might be somebody you once worked with who is nothing more than an acquaintance. Let them go, because you don't need them. Unless they are obsessively checking their own lists, they won't know you cut them off yours.    

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