Defriend vs. Unfriend
March 27, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
At a cocktail party last night, Facebook was a topic of conversation.
I mentioned my blog and a recent posting about the defriend concept to remove someone from your circle of friends on Facebook.
Presently, defriend seems to be the preferred term in the digital zeitgeist.
A woman asked me why people don’t use the word unfriend instead.
I suppose that people will use unfriend if the situation is rather benign.
Perhaps you don’t want to read a friend’s constant updates about mundane chores. Paying bills, feeding the dog, and doing laundry don’t meet the standard of information that you want or need on Facebook. So you simply say that you will unfriend that person.
Defriend has a more appropriate feel if the situation is bothersome, annoying, or serious. For example, a constant, unsolicited, and unwanted barrage of Instant Messages and E-Mails, may cause defriending.
One can make the argument that the two words are distinct from one another without really being different.
On the other hand, an analogy may provide further insight.
When something causes you pain, it is toxic. To get rid of it, you detoxify. You don’t untoxify.
Lexicogaphers, wordsmiths, and digital trendsetters, enjoy!
david@davidkrell.com
At a cocktail party last night, Facebook was a topic of conversation.
I mentioned my blog and a recent posting about the defriend concept to remove someone from your circle of friends on Facebook.
Presently, defriend seems to be the preferred term in the digital zeitgeist.
A woman asked me why people don’t use the word unfriend instead.
I suppose that people will use unfriend if the situation is rather benign.
Perhaps you don’t want to read a friend’s constant updates about mundane chores. Paying bills, feeding the dog, and doing laundry don’t meet the standard of information that you want or need on Facebook. So you simply say that you will unfriend that person.
Defriend has a more appropriate feel if the situation is bothersome, annoying, or serious. For example, a constant, unsolicited, and unwanted barrage of Instant Messages and E-Mails, may cause defriending.
One can make the argument that the two words are distinct from one another without really being different.
On the other hand, an analogy may provide further insight.
When something causes you pain, it is toxic. To get rid of it, you detoxify. You don’t untoxify.
Lexicogaphers, wordsmiths, and digital trendsetters, enjoy!
Defriend = A New Word?
March 11, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
A certain word is gaining popularity in our everyday language.
It’s not in the dictionary.
It’s not in the thesaurus.
And it’s not in any spell checker program.
The word is defriend, as in “Jill wants to defriend Jack on Facebook.”
As in Jill no longer wants to receive Instant Messages, E-Mails, or virtual gifts from Jack.
As in Jill no longer wants to be updated on Jack’s actions, thoughts, or behaviors.
As in Jill no longer wants Jack in her electronic life.
Defriending is a simple process on Facebook, electronically speaking. Follow the instructions, click on the icons, and remove the person from your digital aura.
Because of Facebook’s popularity, defriend has potential to become an official word like its digital predecessors.
Login, web, and E-Mail were words once known only to computer users. As computer use soared in the 1990’s to the tipping point, so did the use of words associated with computers.
Facebook is approaching the tipping point in digital social media. If Facebook continues its momentum, defriend will likely become part of the official lexicon.
It might even open the door for an already existing word to expand its definition.
Presently, we use status to refer to money, power, and social position. On Facebook, status refers to views, thoughts, and actions.
Digital social media is the latest technology to introduce new words, phrases, and languages to society. This expanding communication baseline recalls filmmaker Federico Fellini who said, A different language is a different vision of life.
david@davidkrell.com
A certain word is gaining popularity in our everyday language.
It’s not in the dictionary.
It’s not in the thesaurus.
And it’s not in any spell checker program.
The word is defriend, as in “Jill wants to defriend Jack on Facebook.”
As in Jill no longer wants to receive Instant Messages, E-Mails, or virtual gifts from Jack.
As in Jill no longer wants to be updated on Jack’s actions, thoughts, or behaviors.
As in Jill no longer wants Jack in her electronic life.
Defriending is a simple process on Facebook, electronically speaking. Follow the instructions, click on the icons, and remove the person from your digital aura.
Because of Facebook’s popularity, defriend has potential to become an official word like its digital predecessors.
Login, web, and E-Mail were words once known only to computer users. As computer use soared in the 1990’s to the tipping point, so did the use of words associated with computers.
Facebook is approaching the tipping point in digital social media. If Facebook continues its momentum, defriend will likely become part of the official lexicon.
It might even open the door for an already existing word to expand its definition.
Presently, we use status to refer to money, power, and social position. On Facebook, status refers to views, thoughts, and actions.
Digital social media is the latest technology to introduce new words, phrases, and languages to society. This expanding communication baseline recalls filmmaker Federico Fellini who said, A different language is a different vision of life.