Facebook: Obligation friends

Facebook by Tom NashWe’ve all got them. Those people on your friend list that you are obligated to keep there. They may constantly spout inane nonsense, you may hate them but until they remove you or close their account, on that list of ‘friends’ they will remain. Thank Christ for that ‘hide’ button, eh? Here’s a few examples:

The ex
Once you were the overly sentimental couple but those days are over. Now they exist on your list to either reassure you that you did the best thing or to feed your bitterness and resentment toward them and the entire relationship. Depending on how it ended of course.

The former schoolmate
The friend request came through, your cursor hovered over the reject button for a long time, then you realised you had to accept. Maybe it’s the kid you bullied, in which case, you can reassure yourself that all the trauma you inflicted on them did not prevent their success in life. Maybe it’s the kid that bullied you, in which case you can reassure yourself that karma exists. Win-win?