Study lists the reasons why you're friended or unfriended on Facebook

Feature

20 Dec

So why did that random person add you as a friend on Facebook? Or worse yet, what possible reason could that guy who's been your friend for months just remove you from his friend list without the blink of an eye? It's a time nobody cares about tough time for anyone to be de-friended, which William Shatner has helped the world through. But the question still stands: why? Thats what NM Incite has answered in newly conducted research.

Data was collected via the "State of Social Media Survey," where 1,895 social media users aged 18 an over were polled between March 31st and April 14th this month through their respective forums, blogs and platforms of social media on the set of topics.

The research discovered all the reasons you already knew as to why the exchange or cancellation of friendships are passed; but are arranged into a rank of relevance to people's friending/unfriending exploits. 82% of people form Facebook connections because of their connections in real-life, whereas a rather petty minority of 4% based this decision off how many friends the other person had.

The reasons for unfriending also vary from the common sensical to the manical: 55% turn away due to their friend's tendency to post offensive comments, but 3% delete over the grounds of their connection 'not posting enough' on the social network.

So the research pointed towards the general consensus that being human (being social) and adopting an etiquette of Facebook will drive your 'friend stock' as Cartman so eloquently called it, whereas sales messages or breaking the codes and conventions by posting too often or too little can have a decreasing effect.

Guys use social media for networking within their carrer space, and add friends based on business connections or physical attractiveness (no surprises there), whereas women embrace web 2.0 capabilities for a space to be creative or getting coupons and give positive feedback.

However much sexist profiling might have just gone on there, the results lend well to clarifying just what the usage habits and the terms of friendship and de-frienship are in a social media space. Turns out you be yourself...under a thick layer of knowing exactly when to post, not posting too much or not enough, and catering to this mystical 'Facebook etiquette' that nobody's actually written about; but you know when you had it.

Take a look back through your timeline to a time when you had the most likes is the simplest piece of advice. Either that, or stop being so depressingly fascinated in the details. Take a look at NM Incite's findings below.