Social media has become an integral part of our lives. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter allow us to stay connected with friends, family, colleagues, brands, and public figures. With just a click or tap, we can share life updates, photos, videos, and more.
But social media relationships are not always permanent. For various reasons, you may decide to “unfriend” or “unfollow” someone at some point. So what exactly happens when you unfriend or unfollow someone on social media? Here is a detailed look at how removing connections affects your social media presence and privacy.
What happens when you unfriend someone on Facebook?
With over 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the biggest social network worldwide. Chances are you likely have hundreds of friends on Facebook.
When you unfriend someone on Facebook, here is what happens:
- Your former friend will no longer appear in your friends list or see any of your future posts in their News Feed.
- If you joined any groups together, you will still see each other’s posts and comments in those groups.
- Your former friend will no longer be able to tag you in posts, pictures, or events.
- You and your former friend will no longer see each other’s posts on your respective Timelines.
- If your former friend visits your public profile, they will see a limited version of your Timeline that displays only your cover photo, profile photo, and featured photos.
Importantly, when you unfriend someone:
- Your former friend will still have access to anything you’ve shared with them in the past or on public pages and in groups.
- All messages exchanged with this person will remain in your inbox and their inbox.
- Your former friend will still be able to see posts and information you’ve shared publicly on Facebook.
- You will no longer see updates about your former friend through mutual connections.
So in summary, unfriending someone on Facebook simply removes them from your network and stops you from seeing each other’s future posts. Past interactions, messages, and publicly available content will still be visible.
Can your former friend tell if you’ve unfriended them?
No, Facebook does not notify users when they have been unfriended. The only way your former friend would know is if they try to view your profile or look for you in their friends list.
Can you re-friend someone you’ve unfriended?
Yes, you can send a new friend request to someone who you’ve previously unfriended. If they accept your request, you will be connected as friends again and be able to view each other’s profile posts.
What happens when you unfollow someone on Instagram?
With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is a top platform for sharing visual content and stories. If your feed gets cluttered, you may remove some connections.
Here is what happens when you unfollow an account on Instagram:
- You will no longer see their photos or videos in your main Instagram feed.
- Your former connection will not be notified that you unfollowed them.
- You can still visit the profile of the person you unfollowed and interact with their content.
- If your former connection tries to tag you in a post, your username will not appear as a suggestion.
- Your former connection will still be able to view your public posts and stories.
Essentially, unfollowing someone on Instagram simply removes their posts from your feed. It does not block interactions or remove followers.
What happens if you block someone on Instagram?
Blocking goes a step further than unfollowing. When you block an account on Instagram:
- You will not see their profile, posts, stories, or comments.
- Any comments they have made on your posts in the past will be removed.
- They will not be able to find your profile, posts, or stories.
- They will not be able to interact with your posts or contact you on Instagram.
Blocking prevents someone from viewing your profile or posts at all. They will not be notified if you block them.
What happens when you unfollow or mute someone on Twitter?
With 330 million monthly active users, Twitter revolves around real-time updates and commentary. You may need to curate your feed by removing some users.
When you unfollow someone on Twitter:
- You will no longer see their tweets in your timeline.
- The user will not be notified that you unfollowed them.
- You can still visit their profile and see their tweets.
- They will still be able to view and interact with your public tweets.
Essentially, unfollowing removes someone’s tweets from your main Twitter feed.
When you mute someone on Twitter:
- You will not see their tweets in your timeline.
- They will not know you’ve muted them.
- Their tweets will not show up in your notifications.
- You will not see their replies to your tweets.
- You can undo the mute at any time to see their updates again.
Muting stops their content and notifications from reaching you, while still letting you view their profile on your own.
What happens when you remove a friend on Snapchat?
Snapchat is focused on sharing photos, videos, and messages that only stick around temporarily. But you still may decide to remove some friends.
When you remove a friend on Snapchat:
- You will no longer see their public Snapchat Story.
- They will be completely removed from your Friends list.
- Any chats with that friend will be erased.
- You will both stop seeing each other’s locations if you had location sharing enabled.
- Your former friend will no longer be able to view any new snaps or stories you post.
Removing a friend on Snapchat essentially cuts off all connections and erases your chat history with them.
Can someone tell if you’ve removed them on Snapchat?
No, Snapchat does not notify someone if you remove them as a friend. The only way they may notice is if they try to view your Story or Chat with you.
What happens when you disconnect on LinkedIn?
With over 740 million members, LinkedIn is the top social network for professional networking and career development. You can remove connections here too.
When you disconnect from someone on LinkedIn:
- They will be removed from your LinkedIn connections.
- Any content you’ve shared as connections will no longer be visible to each other.
- You will not be able to see updates from that connection in your LinkedIn feed.
- You can still view each other’s public profiles and posts.
- You can reconnect with that person again by sending a new connection invitation.
Disconnecting on LinkedIn simply removes the linked profile access. Public information remains visible.
When should you unfriend or unfollow someone?
Here are some common reasons you may want to remove a social media connection:
- The person posts too much or too frequently, cluttering your feed.
- Their views, updates, or content makes you uncomfortable.
- Seeing their activities or life updates negatively affects your mental health.
- You no longer interact with the person frequently in real life.
- Removing work contacts after changing jobs.
- You suspect the account may not belong to the actual person.
The decision depends on your preferences and circumstances. It can be helpful to do an occasional friend list audit to curate a more relevant, positive social media experience.
Tips when unfriending or unfollowing
Here are some tips to smoothly remove social media connections:
- Use the platform’s privacy settings to restrict someone from viewing your posts rather than unfriend them completely.
- Gradually snooze or mute people first before unfollowing or unfriending altogether.
- Avoid public call-outs or explanations when removing connections.
- If necessary, let close connections know discreetly via private message that you are removing them from your social feeds.
- Respect someone’s right to have different views than you on public platforms.
- Focus on filling your feeds with inspirational accounts that align with your goals and interests.
The takeaway on removing social media connections
It’s normal to re-evaluate social media friends and followers from time to time. Removing connections allows you to create a feed aligned with your current interests and priorities.
While social platforms make it easy to connect with many people with a click, removing those ties takes a bit more consideration. Each platform has slightly different rules and implications when you unfriend or unfollow someone.
Overall, removing a social connection does not completely erase your past interactions. And in most cases, it does not block someone from viewing your public profile and posts. But it does prevent further private interactions and stops their content from appearing in your main feeds.
Give some thought to your motivations before removing connections. In many cases, unfollowing or muting is sufficient. But if you need more privacy from someone online, unfriending and even blocking may be appropriate.
Keep in mind social media is meant to enhance your life, not stress you out. Curate your connections wisely so your feeds bring value rather than unwanted clutter on your social journey.