Facebook has evolved over the years. When it first started out, it only had the Add Friend feature to allow people to connect to each other. It also had its Network and Group features that served as the means of categorizing which organization you belong to. Once you accept a friend request, that friend automatically sees all your activities and vice versa.

Currently, Facebook has a Follow feature. When you add a friend and you get accepted, you and your friend automatically follow each other. Following means you get to see all the activities in each other’s timeline or news feed.  But it is convenient to use the unfollow feature if you have an annoying friend who constantly post offensive content. Moreover, you can unfollow someone who simply just gets on your nerve. It’s like a discreet way of unfriending someone although you don’t actually remove the other person from your list. Unfollowing the other person however doesn’t mean the other person automatically unfollows you too. It doesn’t work that way.

Why unfollow a friend?

I don’t know about you but I would unfollow someone whose posts usually involve pornographic content or the likes of it. If I want to watch provocative photos, I will just go to the actual adult website myself, but I don’t expect to see these sort on my Facebook news feed. If your neighbor had an accident, you don’t upload photos of her bleeding body parts on Facebook for your friends to see. Will gaining a lot of likes over the picture heal the real injury? No!

Selfie photos, if posted three times daily, can tend to be a sight for sore eye. I know someone who habitually changes her profile photo. While she’s undoubtedly beautiful, I don’t understand why she can’t seem to make up her mind on which photo to make her primary picture. It’s not like people only look at primary photos anyway. People do browse other people’s photos and albums when they have the time.

If you just had a fight with your boyfriend, I believe it’s best to settle that offline. You do not lash out at someone using all-caps font to emphasize how angry you are. You are divulging your dirty laundry in the public and that’s humiliating. One girl recently made two consecutive status updates where she was telling the whole world that the guy owed her a big amount of money and that he was just using her whenever he needs something from her. But then days later, her status update suggested she has forgiven him already. While I’m glad that they were able to patch things up, what impact do you think it gave to me and the rest of the people who have witnessed the whole saga? I was embarrassed for her! I cringed each time I read her status update.

I also unfollowed some friends whom I had a not-so-good relationship with. Instead of always feeling bad each time I see what they’re up to, which is most of the times no good, it’s best not to know at all and unfollowing them is like an escape! I believe it’s easier that way.

If you’re the type who’s fortunate enough to get to travel around the world, keep in mind that not everyone is given the same privilege in life so be mindful of other people’s feelings. It’s OK to show the world where you’ve been or what you always eat (although it can sometimes get too annoying too!), but be careful what you caption your photos.

The safe way to behave

Just act normally. I’m sure your life isn’t all about selfie photos. If you have something to share, for example, your opinion over a very controversial current issue, why not post it? But be careful what and how you write it too. If it’s your birthday, go ahead and post how you celebrated it. I’m sure birthday events just don’t involve photos of just your face alone.

If your friend recently lost a loved one, review the photos that you click like on. Do you think it’s proper to like a picture of someone in a casket? The photo was uploaded to show the event and I’m sure they didn’t mean to garner likes from it.

Just use your common sense and you’ll be fine. If you’re slightly embarrass at something you’re about to upload, then I tell you, don’t do it.