Digital boundaries

None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.

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If you only read a few

Start your own friend circle so you can choose who to keep and drop.
It allows you to be confident the group is composed of good people.
one person who lived it
Mute a person's posts or stories instead of unfollowing them if you want to stop seeing their content without the drama of cutting ties.
It allows them to disappear from your feed quietly while maintaining the connection.
- Some people prefer to unfollow to keep their profiles strictly for close contacts, viewing muting as merely 'band-aiding' the issue.
3 people, independently
Unfollow people who do not post anything.
There is no point in following a ghost.
one person who lived it
Do not feel obligated to maintain social media connections with people you no longer speak to, even if you share mutual friends or history.
You do not owe anyone a follow, and cleaning up minor acquaintances helps limit who can see your posts and keeps your feed tidy.
2 people, independently
Unfollow people who do not follow you back, especially those you know in real life, to avoid feeling like a fan.
You should not treat mutual acquaintances like fans, and reciprocity is expected.
- This approach may sound petty to some.
one person who lived it

Read 'The Slight Edge' by Jeff Olson.
It provides a philosophy helpful for putting good advice into practice.
one person who lived it
Wait a week or two before unfollowing someone who hasn't followed back.
They may be inactive or their follow request may be buried by other notifications.
one person who lived it
- Do not interpret a lack of follow-back as personal rejection, as the other person may be inactive or have buried notifications.1
Rationalize unfollows by viewing them from an outer perspective, noting that tastes change and it is not personal.
Peoples' tastes and interests change.
one person who lived it
Stop sharing information with potential gossips on social media.
So they have nothing to gossip about.
one person who lived it

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Limit social media connections to people you currently interact with, even minimally.
People you don't interact with do not care about your personal updates.
2 people, independently