Step 4 - Reading

To 'unfriend' a friend

Reading strategies provides you with tools needed to analyse text in the most effective way.
Read the information about reading strategies skimming and scanning:

Skimming and scanning


You are going to read a text (in two parts) quickly to look for certain information.
The title of the article is: The Faze Guide To National Unfriend Day.

The article lists some reasons to ‘unfriend’ a friend. Which reasons? Read the text quickly (skimming).

So it’s National Unfriend Day and let’s be honest, we all have a few questionable “friends” on Facebook.

You may not think about it when you log on, but today is the day to really get you thinking, who should stay and who should go? If you’re unsure about where to start, we’re here to help you narrow down who you should cut from your friends list:

1. Do you dislike them?
If running into them in real life or seeing them on your feed is an unenjoyable experience, it’s time to bite the bullet and hit unfriend. There’s no reason why you should keep seeing someone that you heavily dislike.

2. Do they post too much?
Facebook is not a place for a lot of sharing. No one wants to know what you had for breakfast or when your roommate left the dishes in the sink. It is also not the place to live-feed award shows or sports. If you see a fellow Facebook “friend” doing any of the above and share no interest in
either, click unfriend.

3. Are they an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend?
This goes without saying, sometimes it’s better to avoid any contact with ex-lovers. Unfriending them will
make it better for you to move on and avoid any future Facebook stalking sessions. Unless, of course, you
both managed to remain friends in light of the break up then good for you both.

4. When did you see them last?
If you met them once in biology class 4 years ago and haven’t talked to them since, it’s time to hit unfriend.
If you can barely consider them an acquaintance, there is no point in keeping them as a Facebook “friend.”
There should be a two-year limit to consider because beyond that you’ll probably never see them again.


5. Have you talked to them at all?

This may sound needless to say, but if you have never interacted with this person in real life or online, you need to hit “unfriend.” For all you know it could be your online stalker. Besides, there is no reason why you should have to deal with mindless life updates of a person you’ve never met.

6. Do they like to ruin your favourite shows before you watch them?
If they are the type of people that like to post spoilers of your favourite TV shows, consider unfriending them or avoid Facebook by all means. After all, they may be posting spoilers, but you can always count on them for sharing a similar interest as you.

7. If they do any of the following:

  • Fill out online quizzes daily and post the results on your feed.

  • Regularly invite you to play games like Farmville.

If their entire feed is made up the above posts, and if you have no interest in any of the above, it’s time to reconsider hitting the unfriend button. It’s not like you’ll miss seeing their activity spam. So feel free to consider our guide when you participate in this year’s National Unfriend Day
and say adieu to all the people that used to clutter your Facebook feed.


Do the first exercise.

Read the questions below.
Now read the whole text and do the second exercise: answer the questions.