Sorry, You’ve Been Unfollowed

"I just can’t have you in my feed. Nothing personal."

Today’s brilliant guest column is about the awful moment where you realise you’ve been unfollowed. When someone unfollows me I used to privately brainstorm all the probable reasons they might have gone off me. Am I too self-absorbed? Too opinionated? Too much self-promotion? Is it because I tweeted a First World Problem? There are so many reasons why we worry about how we are perceived publicly— and there are many ways we can learn to accept things without ruminating too much. I really enjoyed this (humorous) piece on how to deal when the moment arises.

Anna Lind Thomas is a bestselling author, humorist and USA Today’s short list of funniest women authors. You can subscribe to her weekly letters on her Substack, True Story(ish).

The ridiculous emotional turmoil of discovering you’ve been unfollowed
by Anna Lind Thomas

I’d just given birth when I discovered I’d been unfollowed. Lucy slept in my arms, I was delirious and too hyped to sleep. Naturally, I was eager to see how my birth announcement on social media was performing. Everyone knows fresh babies are social media jackpots—even Steve, the guy you haven’t spoken to since college, will slap a like on it. It’s all quite satisfying, really.

Yet, as I scrolled through all the hearts, something felt curious. Years ago, I became acquaintances with a group of women at a conference. They were the generous type one could rely on for social charity, like your one aunt who’ll tap a like on literally everything you post. Yet, only one of them, Sarah, gave me the classic “Congrats!” in the comments. Where were the others?

I had a weird interaction with one of them months prior and she, along with the rest, slowly stopped engaging with me. But wouldn’t a picture of a newborn baby soften even the hardest of hearts? I searched her name. Big mistake. Slap! Right across the face. I’d been unfriended.