Why I Rarely Accept New Friend Requests on Social Media

I keep my social circle pretty small and intentional, and I wanted to explain why — just so no one takes it the wrong way.

 

Most of my Facebook friends (about 500 or so) are connected to the dog rescue world in one way or another. These days, that’s really what social media is for me — work, writing, and sharing articles. It’s more of a professional space than a personal one.

 

The truth is, the people I’m closest to don’t really talk with me on Facebook anyway. We text. We call. We meet up. A few friends live out of state, so we use Messenger sometimes — but that’s about it.

 

A few years ago, I lost my best friend. We’d known each other since we were 15 and talked almost every day. Losing him changed a lot for me. It made me value real conversations and direct connections even more. Life’s too short to let meaningful relationships live only on a timeline.

 

Over time, I also stepped away from using social media as a place to debate or vent. Like a lot of people, I used to get caught up in politics online — watching the news, getting fired up, arguing my point. And honestly? Nobody wins those battles. You just slowly lose friends over things that don’t really matter in the grand scheme of your life.

 

So I made a choice: peace over arguments.

 

Now I keep my “news bandwidth” small on purpose. I skim headlines once a day, let AI summarize what I need to know, and skip the outrage cycle. No doom-scrolling, no getting dragged into fights, no letting the internet decide my mood. It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made. I’m calmer. Happier. More present. I spend more time on things that actually matter.

 

And that’s really the heart of it.

 

Social media, for me, is just a simple tool — sharing dog-related work, articles, and updates. Not debates, not drama, not politics.

 

So if I don’t accept a friend request, please don’t take it personally. It doesn’t mean I don’t like you or don’t want to connect. It just means I try to keep this space focused and quiet.

If you ever want to talk, reach out directly. I’d much rather have a real conversation than another notification.