One of the many factors that drove me away from Facebook more than five years ago was the fact that I had somehow amassed over 600 "friends" since joining in 2005. Even after purging half of my "friends," I couldn't put up with all of the nonsense littering my feed on a daily basis.
There are no doubt millions of people in the same boat I was. You have a connection with hundreds of people on Facebook but honestly can't stand to associate with most of them. Perhaps they're extended family members, old friends or former co-workers. The one thing they all have in common is that removing them from your friends list would cause drama.
Facebook's latest feature could be of assistance.
The social network on Friday launched Snooze, a new feature that lets you hide people, groups or brands for a period of up to 30 days. Just before the quiet period is set to expire, Facebook will send an alert so you can be prepared or renew the Snooze for an additional length of time.
To use Snooze, simply select it from the top-right drop-down menu of a post.
The feature has been in testing since September but isn't a perfect solution, mind you. If you're simply looking to silence someone for a short period of time (perhaps cousin Bill went on a vacation and can't stop posting photos), it's great. But for general crowd control, it's kind of like putting a tiny bandage over a massive wound. It doesn't really solve the underlying issue but rather, postpones it for later.