“Unfriend”. One of the new buzz words in 2009, thanks to the social media explosion.
We all know what it means to “google it”. It means to go online and search for something (on Google, since I don’t think it’s possible to “google something” on Bing…).
For Twitter users, “unfollow” has also grown to be a well-known term. If you want to know more about unfollowing, here’s how to make me unfollow you!
Even more popular than “unfollow”, seems to be “unfriend”. That’s the term you use on Facebook when cleaning up in your Facebook friends:
unfriend – verb – To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.
“That’s a lie, I’m gonna unfriend you for telling lies”, you might think. But wait a minute, it’s true, check out The New Oxford American Dictionary if you don’t believe me. They are actually going to add it as Word Of The Year.
Other words considered as Word Of The Year were:
- hashtag
- intexticated
- netbook
- paywall
- sexting
- freemium
- funemployed
- zombie bank
… and then a bunch of political and environmental words that I didn’t find interesting enough to include here.
Now we just need Google to learn the new Word Of The Year, as it suggests “unfried” instead of “unfriend”, when googling it.
Have you unfriended anybody recently, and if so, why? Leave a comment below!
What a great post 🙂 I’ve not un-friend anyone recently. Social media has taken over everything!
.-= Kiran´s last blog ..Make-over =-.
Hi Kiran. In that case, I hope you’re just a little bit selective with who you decide to “friend”, so you don’t get too many bad people inside your circle 😉
.-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..How To Use Facebook To Fake An Alibi =-.
I recently did some “un-friending” on my Facebook account a couple of days ago, the word was very fitting in this case.
.-= Extreme John´s last blog ..Meeting Mr. Butch Patrick a.k.a Eddie Munster =-.
Several months ago I unfriended some ‘friends’ on Facebook, that I don’t even know who, never met, and they were so annoying. Do you have annoying friends like that? They chat with you, sending messages, asking unimportant things and act as if they knew you and so on, and so on, while in fact you just meet them only on Facebook.
Or have you been unfriended, just like the girl on the picture?
Hi Avery – thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I don’t know if I’ve been un-friended, to be honest. I don’t get notified about it 😀 And I don’t really care, if I’m not good enough for them, they are probably not good enough for me either.
I hope you will be able to deal with your Facebook “foes” chatting you up all the time 🙂
.-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..How To Use Facebook To Fake An Alibi =-.
Hi Klaus, I do not unfriend anyone, I welcome all friend from my side. Thank you for this post.
.-= chandan´s last blog ..Search latest work at home jobs here =-.
Hi Chandan. But what if you don’t know them, then they’re not your “friend” just from the very first moment you “connect”, right?
Yes thats right.
.-= chandan´s last blog ..Work at home business opportunities with twitter [Digg] =-.
so what next tweet? retweet? i think more word will come from social networking site.. 🙂
.-= izzat aziz´s last blog ..Four steps to great articles =-.
I wouldn’t be surprised if “tweet” was already on the list, since it was not being considered for this years list.
.-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..How To Use Facebook To Fake An Alibi =-.
These days we use more words with the prefix un- on social media 🙂
unfriend
unfollow
unsubscribe (on StumbleUpon)
.-= Phaoloo´s last blog ..Top 19 Tools To Hide Folders On Windows =-.
Hehe, that’s true. But we lack a really important one: “undo”. Once it’s out there, you’re gonna have trouble taking it back…. (like “cisco fatty”)
.-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..iPhone iPod Bug & How To Fall Asleep Fast And Efficient With Megan Fox =-.
There are thousands of words every year as things evolve more. I would agree that unfriend is probably used on many sites around the world. Sometimes I have to Google words as I’m lost.
.-= George Serradinho´s last blog ..Newest WordPress Plugins 19/11 =-.
Yeah me too George, a site like “urban dictonary” pops up quite often when I search for those “new age” words.
.-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..iPhone iPod Bug & How To Fall Asleep Fast And Efficient With Megan Fox =-.
It is amazing how the internet influence the offline world.
.-= Diabetis´s last blog ..Diabetic threat for feet =-.
You’re right – I wonder how many older people even know what “tweet” and “hashtag” is? Would be an interesting study.
By the way – I kindly ask my commenters not to use keywords as their name, I prefer to have a real name, so I removed your link as I don’t think your name is “Diabetis” 😉
I wouldn’t mind offering you dofollow links on the CommentLuv link though.
.-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..iPhone iPod Bug & How To Fall Asleep Fast And Efficient With Megan Fox =-.
I’d say pathetic more then amazing, unless it was meant sarcastically. A sad state of today’s affairs when this crap is justified as mainstream….I mean, dictionaries?!?!?!
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..IS An Advertising Page Really A Good Idea? An Interesting Opposing View… =-.
So if “unfriend” is now a verb I wonder when “friend” became a verb. Previously “friend” was only a noun as in “being a friend” or “helping a friend”.
Plus don’t you have to “friend” someone before you can “unfriend” them? Or does any of this really matter anyway 😉
.-= Mike @ Computer Tech Tips´s last blog ..Search Craigslist Classified Ads – 7 Tools for Faster Searching =-.
You raise some interesting questions. All the noun/verb-thing in English is not my strongest side though, but I trust what you’re saying 🙂