Steve Reeder
says it's no secret among his Facebook friends: He's a Republican.
But after he began posting news articles and political cartoons on his page that reflect his support for GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, his friend count began falling off. Today, it's down by several dozen.http://adf.ly/DbQX0
"One day, they are there. The next day, they just disappear," said Reeder, 53, of Roswell, Georgia. "Most (people) don't say anything to me about it. So I just say 'good riddance.'"
It's a story that's been playing out on Facebook and Twitter with growing frequency among friends, family members, colleagues and acquaintances as an already contentious presidential campaign between Romney and President Barack Obama enters its final, frenzied weeks. Your close friends may share your political views, but that eccentric uncle, former co-worker or high school classmate may not. http://adf.ly/DbQX0
Nearly one-fifth of people admit to blocking, unfriending or hiding someone on social media over political postings, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. The biggest gripes: The offending person posted too often about politics, disagreed with others' updates, or bothered mutual friends with partisan political postings.
"In the real world, we navigate these issues all the time. We know not to bring up politics around certain friends or family members. We try to avoid people who are constantly looking for an argument or trying to sell us on their pet ideas," said Aaron Smith, a Pew research associate.
"Since blocking, unfriending, hiding people is the closest social analogue to those real-world examples, it's not necessarily surprising to see people taking these steps in the virtual space."
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