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It’s Okay To Say ‘No’ To Friend Requests
There is enough social awkwardness in the real world without having to worry about making social faux pas’s on the Internet. But with Facebook thrusting our lives into everyone’s living rooms (or computer rooms), it’s easier to run into people you knew, and more difficult to avoid them.
If you were in the supermarket and spotted someone you didn’t care for in high school, you could turn around and walk the other way without them noticing, nod your head and say “oh hey!” and just keep walking, or you could be polite and chit-chat for a few moments before going on with your life.
But with Facebook, and its 150 million users, you could have former friends, lovers, and casual acquaintances trying to tap back into your life and you have nowhere to hide.
Yes, you certainly have the ability to turn down friend requests–you’re not under any social obligation to accept. But there are situations where you might accidentally accept a friend request (maybe from habit?) and all of a sudden you’ve let someone into your life that you’d rather have stayed outside.
With the Internet drawing new lines for social behaviours, it can be difficult finding where the boundaries should be set, especially when you’re actively using social networks like Facebook or Myspace. But if someone is asking to be your friend, someone you knew but never considered as friend, don’t be tempted to say “yes” out of pity, and then regret the decision. It’s easier to say “no” than to say “yes” and then remove them as friend. You’re better off just leaving them on the outside. There is a good chance that they’re just starting out on Facebook, and are maybe just looking to build up their friend numbers, just like you did when you started. 
