The Top 5 People You Should Immediately Unfollow On Social Media

1. The friend (now acquaintance) you haven’t seen or spoken to in a decade
You probably know too much about their new job or their dogs for someone you haven’t spoken to in ages. Sure, they give you a sense of nostalgia and a false sense of connection to them, but the truth is, you’ll probably never speak to them again. You’re just a like on each other’s selfies at this point, and while that boosts your self-esteem, it’s kind of sad. Unless you’re planning to reach out to this person in the near future, unfollow them on Instagram, unfollow their posts on Facebook, and take them off of your Snapchat.

2. The Instagram model with thousands – or millions – of followers
It’s likely that they’re giving you unrealistic body expectations, their multiple posts a day are crowding your feed, and they’re just trying to sell you a tea-tox. Sure, this person is beautiful, and maybe their outfits are on point, but unless you’re truly inspired by every post of theirs you double-tap, they’re pretty useless on your feed. Their trip to Europe or their latest photoshoot might even be taking a toll on your self-esteem. You’ll probably see them on your Explore page on Instagram, so why keep them on your feed?

3. Your ex
I would hope that this one was a given, but you shouldn’t be following your ex on social media. Unless they’re still a close friend of yours, it’s unhealthy to keep up with your ex’s life, especially when you no longer communicate with them. Whether they broke up with you or vice versa, it’ll be painful and awkward, or just painfully awkward, to see their progress in life. Neither of you want to see each other’s new significant others, road trips, or selfies. Your lives are no longer intertwined, and seeing their posts on your feed won’t benefit anyone.

4. The person who creates controversy over everything
While it’s great to have an opinion and embrace freedom of speech, this person will argue over anything. They’re always the first to comment a giant paragraph on a political article someone shares, often post status updates that end in “discuss!” and can be found arguing with strangers in the comments section on public posts. This person probably makes your blood boil not only because they have an opinion that you may or may not agree with, but because of the sheer frequency of their comments and posts. You shouldn’t have to see another one of their posts about temporarily quitting social media because people were arguing with them again.

5. The friend who only ever posts selfies
Seeing their face over and over again with quotes or song lyrics as captions is getting old. This person posts selfies with no context, and you don’t care to see close-ups of their face anymore. Selfies are great for confidence and to document different hair and makeup looks, but this person has no variety in their posts; many of their selfies even look the same. Either tell your friend that their posts are useless, or hit that unfollow button.

You shouldn’t have to follow people whose posts are irrelevant to you, or who make you feel bad about yourself. Ultimately, being mindful of these kinds of people on your feeds and doing a social media clean-up every few months is helpful for your sanity.