A Real Simple Guide to Social Media Sites

The Facebook BreakUp

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your virtual social circle, there’s nothing wrong with pruning your friends list. In fact, some anthropologists have theorized that the human brain isn’t wired to keep up with more than 200 connections at a time, says Rosen. In 2009, Cameron Marlow, a sociologist at Facebook, reported that the average user had 120 friends (the number is now 130) but regularly interacted with about seven of them. When you do pare down, there’s no need to post an announcement. Says one reader: “My pet peeve is the ‘I’m getting ready to unfriend a bunch of people.… Don’t be offended if you’re one of them.’ Just do it, and don’t make a big deal about it.”