Defriending can bruise your 'digital ego'

Defriending can bruise your 'digital ego'
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/10/30/online.rejection.defriending/index.html

Researchers say our reaction to social rejection is the same whether it happens online or offline. There are some users how think you can avoid the awkwardness of defriending someone by sending them an e-mail to explain. "You have no facial expression online; you have no tone of voice online; it's very easy to misinterpret phrasing in an e-mail. You have to be very careful about your wording and be more explicit with people when you're making or removing connections," Sepp said. "That's why it's so important to connect with people that you actually know."

(Note: I just would like to say that I use Facebook on a regular basis I've been on both ends of being defriended. When I get defriended by someone else it doesn't affect me because chances are, it is someone I haven't talked to or seen in quite some time. I won't go through my list trying to find out who deleted me. When I defriend someone, that person finds out quickly, then I get yelled at because of it. I have my reasons for defriending someone.)