 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on October 8, 2010Â
Some of the relationship factors influencing the “friending†and “unfriending†phenomenon on Facebook may be better understood thanks to a new study conducted by a student at the University of Colorado Denver Business School.
The study, which may be the first of its kind, has revealed the top reasons for Facebook unfriending, who is unfriended and how they react to being unfriended.
Being “unfriended†on Facebook simply means a friend, family member or acquaintance no longer is connected to you through the website.
If posts are deemed too frequent or lack importance, the person behind those words and phrases is at greatest risk of being unfriended, according to the study.
“Researchers spend a lot of time examining how people form friendships online but little is known on how those relationships end,†said Christopher Sibona, a PhD student whose research will be published January by the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.
“Perhaps this will help us develop a theory of the entire cycle of friending and unfriending.â€
With more than 500 million users worldwide, Facebook has become a global phenomenon, a vast cyber neighborhood where friends meet to share photos, news and gossip. In this recent study, Sibona surveyed more than 1,500 Facebook users on Twitter.
The study found that the number two reason for unfriending was related to postings about polarizing topics like religion and politics.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/10/08/why-facebook-friends-unfriend-you/19334.html
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