Summary:
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Today is National Unfriend Day, a reminder to curate our social media lists.
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Started by Jimmy Kimmel in 2010, the idea has grown as social media became more prominent.
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Unfriending often happens due to excessive posting, political content, or for self-care reasons.
Today is National Unfriend Day, the once-jokey internet holiday that shows up every Nov. 17 to remind us just how many people we’ve collected across our feeds. It’s become a small but dependable moment in digital culture — a yearly nudge to look at those sprawling friend lists and ask whether they still match our actual lives.
The idea began in 2010 when Jimmy Kimmel introduced the concept during a segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live, urging Facebook users to remove acquaintances they barely knew. Kimmel argued that the term “friend” had been stretched thin in the era of digital networking, and he jokingly designated Nov. 17 as a day to “clean house.” Holiday trackers such as National Today and Days of the Year continue to cite his declaration as the moment the tradition took shape.
Though it started as a joke, the idea caught on as social media became a bigger part of everyday life. Research shows people often unfriend over nonstop posting, political rants, or just general feed fatigue. A University of Colorado study even found that political content from old high school acquaintances was one of the most common triggers for unfriending.
Cant get unfriended if i dont have friends pic.twitter.com/4JpXB7gplc
— 𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕞𝕣𝕠𝕔𝕜 (@sh4mrock1) November 17, 2024
More recent research and polling suggest the trend has only intensified. In January 2025, a community news analysis reported that roughly 38 percent of registered voters had unfriended or unfollowed someone due to political differences, a reflection of how polarized online spaces have become.
Social-media researchers note that many of these digital separations are less about hostility and more about maintenance — a way to curate one’s feed in order to reduce stress, avoid misinformation or manage emotional bandwidth. Some commentators even frame unfriending as a form of self-care, pointing to the psychological benefits of tailoring one’s online environment.
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Etiquette experts have noted for years that unfriending doesn’t have to be a dramatic breakup. Many users now choose quieter tools like muting or hiding posts, which lets them keep the peace while still deciding what shows up in their feeds.
ABC News reported during the early Facebook boom that people who trimmed their lists often felt relief rather than regret, and that feeling has largely carried over as platforms have evolved.
