Saturday 10 December 2016

Why We Accept/Reject/Ignore Facebook Friend Requests (and sometimes request)

It's the Social Media era. Has been since 2005 when we all had that regretful Myspace account. Then some of us moved on to Friendster (who actually remembers friendster?) and then EVERYONE migrated to Facebook. And stayed there. Forever.

I am one of those bipolar people who happens to have two active Facebook accounts. One is where I put all my dirty laundry out and another is for the goodie-goodie lecturer image I carry. I'd consider you a close friend if I happen to have you on both. However, lately I have been more active on the goodie account as it is not a revealing as the other. Maybe it's coz most of my present friends are added there. And I do intend to delete most of my past. Who doesn't, right?

Anyway the purpose of this blog entry today is to sorta summarize how or why I (or even everyone else too ) Accept/Reject/Ignore some FB requests. And also the special cases where I actually do the requesting part. (I don't normally request to add people, but when I do, consider yourself special). It's a common knowledge actually, but people mostly ignore these scenarios and hold on to whatever they want to feel and believe.

right? We do have common sense.
Accepting Facebook requests:
1. If I know you or have seen you in person
2. If we have at least 2 mutual friends

Rejecting Facebook requests:
1. If you use a weird name and have a weird or no profile pic
2. If you use a very obscene profile pic

Ignoring Facebook requests
1. If I know you but I don't like you (yet)
2. If you have a decent name and profile pic but we have 0 mutual friends

Oh I also delete and block people if they turn out to be stalkerish creeps.

I think it's the same for everyone, right? It's only common sense for people (who takes FB seriously) to be careful with who they approve access on to their FB profiles. Even after approving these requests you can never be too careful. People tend to screenshot your regrets and make them haunt you forever coz people are jerks. I have had my share of giving chances to weirdos and tried treating them normally but now I'm too lazy. Be a creep and I got nothing to say but hit that block button. If only we can do that to people in real life. 

On the other hand, I don't usually send requests to people because I have this weird pride thing. I only send requests if I am interested in that person or I want that person to be interested in me. So consider yourself special when you get my requests. 😝. Oh it's nothing desperate or romantic or flirty, or whatever... It's a step to know someone. And after we do, we can move on (away or closer that's fate to decide).

So I guess, think about it when you request to friend someone. There might be reasons why 2 years later, your request finally gets approved and you have no memory of requesting that person.