I heard that these days, people have less interest in reading blogs, much less ones comprised of lengthy, wordy posts. So I’ll make this one concise.
If you are like me, you have been too nice and too free with your “accepts” and “opt-ins” in your digital history. You’ve allowed fringe friends to join your circles or spy on your Facebook, and you’ve given your e-mail address to just about everyone.
I mean, news outlets, shopping sites, social networks, coupon services. POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS. All told, I get about 100 useless e-mails every day.
To efficiently untether yourself from both Facebook ‘friends’ and extraneous e-mail, do the following:
- log into Facebook via mobile app. Navigate to your friends list. Breeze through your entire list and tap the unfriend button. This is less aggravating than trying the same process on a desktop browser, which refreshes each time you unfriend someone, and starts back at the top of your friends list. I went from nearly 1,200 to about 850.
- Pick a day (any day), and watch the cacophony roll in. In almost any mass communication from a company, organization, or political party (basically anyone other than an individual), there should be an “unsubscribe” or “manage preferences” at the bottom of the e-mail, especially if it comes through services like Mailchimp. In most cases, you don’t even have to log in, or click more than once or twice additionally to be unsubscribed.
There are a few good reasons to do both of the above steps, in case you need additional convincing:
- Facebook is in the business of data, and you are basically giving yours to them for free. No need to lay out your entire prior social calendar or specify your BFF from 6th grade, who just turned up in a mugshot online… *smh*
- Also, some people don’t know how to take social media with a grain of salt. The constant gleeful statuses of vacations, new cars, spouses, and gluttony could drive anyone who at that moment, is not enjoying life, to feel depressed. Stop subjecting yourself to undue peer pressure from people you barely know/see/care about. GOODBYE #cutestgaycouple.
- Any time you create an account on a website, you are giving the site permission to bombard you, often with marketing messages designed to drive sales. I for one do not need additional cajoling when it comes to shopping, nor do I need constant reminders of “half off botox treatments!” Some things are best not bought at a discount…
Hopefully this was short and clear enough for all you 3-minute attention spanners.
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