by Bob Schmidt

Created on: July 24, 2011

While many reasons to delete a friend on Facebook may exist, the biggest issue is likely to be based upon differing reasons as to why one joins this popular social site. Traditional concepts as to who represents a friend are being challenged by new cyberworld terminology with somewhat different definitions.

Prior to the days of the Internet, most folks considered friends to be people that they personally knew from family and societal interaction on a face to face basis. In short, friends were people known of a very personal basis. There are good reasons to delete friends from social sites like Facebook, and it is good to recognize why some individuals may not really qualify as friends worth having.

Conflicting reasons for socializing on Facebook...

Many members of Facebook initially joined the site because they sought to stay in close contact with family members and close friends. As time has passed, most members have included acquaintances as friends, and reasons for having friends have changed. Some Facebook members befriend others for promotional reasons instead of personal considerations.

It is important to consider if some friends are there for the wrong reasons. Some members of interactive sites chose to promote their own personal interests which may include business interests, while others may not be interested in business promotion whatever. In addition, some Facebook members use the site for amusement purposes such as playing games; which may not be of interest to other members seeking personal contact with family members and personal friends. Friends who define friendship on different terms than you do are folks who may not belong on an individuals friend list.

Personal value system...

Deleting a friend from Facebook may seem difficult, but everyone makes value based judgments on a daily basis. People are defined by many things in life, and each person develops a value system that defines them as an individual. Some friends become undesirable based upon lifestyle choices, while others have behavioral habits that are unacceptable. Bad language, unacceptable comments, and a host of potential problems may arise with an individual friend. In such cases, deletion from friend lists is certainly appropriate.

Constant promotion...

A traditional aspect of friendship is the concept of mutual rewards coming forth from the relationship. When a supposed friend is constantly promoting their own personal issues and fails to be supportive or active within the friendship, there is nothing to lose by deleting the friend. No one needs a friend whose presence is only for their own benefit. Any friend who constantly promotes their own interests without concern for anything else should be considered for deletion.

Defining friendship is personal, just as a Facebook account is. Since friendship is an exclusive group of selected individuals, it should be given with considerable care. Beyond being granted with care, it should be mutually pleasurable. Anything less could indicate that deleting a friend might be in order. Having a large friend's list is only a competition, nothing to do with the value of a true friend.

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