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Why “Facebook Official” Friends are a Thing of the Past
For the last month or two, I haven’t been able to go on Facebook, because I don’t want my Facebook friends’ political views to ruin my perception of them. I want to remember what we did together and know what they are doing now, not if they are on the other side of the culture war.
I have friends from college, mission trips, high school, summer camps, past jobs, etc. that I have kept in touch with through social media. I haven’t unfriended them because I want to remember the memories I have of them.
Three summers of lifeguarding memories with the same friends, four years of high school activities, and seeing old roommates’ adventures is all a part of going on social media for me. I don’t want to ruin that picture because one of my Facebook friends has a different political view than I do.
That’s why I believe “Facebook Official” is not a concept anymore, at least for me. I don’t consider Facebook a gauge of how many friends I have. What sparked this? After I moved and I met my new neighbors, and I thought, “I don’t want to be friends with them on Facebook, because I don’t want to know their political views.” I don’t want anything besides a fence dividing my community and me.
No one says “Your not friends, until your friends on Facebook” anymore.