How do you use "Unfollow" in a sentence?

I had to unfollow him—too much drama. Did she unfollow me? Mass unfollow after that post.

Unfollow

Q: What does "Unfollow" mean?

To stop following someone on social media. Unfollowing is social media's passive-aggressive power move—visible rejection without confrontation. Unlike blocking (which is dramatic), unfollowing is a quiet withdrawal: you simply stop seeing someone's posts. But people notice. Checking if someone unfollowed you after a fight or breakup is modern ritual. 'Mass unfollow' events after controversies show collective disapproval. The act is simultaneously trivial (just a click) and meaningful (curating who exists in your digital world).

Slang Term AmericanBritishAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Casual

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Meaning: To stop following someone on social media.

在社交媒体上取消关注某人。

Dejar de seguir a alguien en las redes sociales.

SNSで誰かのフォローを外すこと。

소셜 미디어에서 누군가의 팔로우를 취소하는 것.

Unfollowing is social media's passive-aggressive power move—visible rejection without confrontation. Unlike blocking (which is dramatic), unfollowing is a quiet withdrawal: you simply stop seeing someone's posts. But people notice. Checking if someone unfollowed you after a fight or breakup is modern ritual. 'Mass unfollow' events after controversies show collective disapproval. The act is simultaneously trivial (just a click) and meaningful (curating who exists in your digital world).

取关是社交媒体上的被动攻击式权力行使——没有正面冲突的可见拒绝。不同于拉黑（那太戏剧化了），取关是一种安静的退出：你只是不再看到对方的帖子。但人们会注意到。吵架或分手后检查对方有没有取关你是现代的仪式。争议后的'集体取关'事件显示了集体的不赞同。这个行为既微不足道（只是一次点击），又意义重大（策划谁存在于你的数字世界中）。

Dejar de seguir es la jugada pasivo-agresiva de las redes sociales: un rechazo visible sin confrontación. A diferencia de bloquear (que es dramático), dejar de seguir es una retirada silenciosa: simplemente dejas de ver las publicaciones de alguien. Pero la gente se da cuenta. Comprobar si alguien te ha dejado de seguir después de una pelea o una ruptura es un ritual moderno. Los eventos de 'dejar de seguir masivamente' tras las polémicas muestran desaprobación colectiva. El acto es simultáneamente trivial (solo un clic) y significativo (curar quién existe en tu mundo digital).

フォロー解除はSNSにおける受動的攻撃的な力の行使——対面の対決なしの目に見える拒絶。ブロック（劇的）と違い、フォロー解除は静かな撤退——相手の投稿が表示されなくなるだけ。だが人は気づく。喧嘩や別れの後にフォローを外されたか確認するのは現代の儀式だ。炎上後の「大量フォロー解除」は集団的な不支持を示す。この行為は些細（ワンクリック）であると同時に重要（デジタル世界に誰が存在するかをキュレーションする）なのだ。

언팔로우는 소셜 미디어의 소극적 공격 수단이다—대면 없이 눈에 보이는 거절을 하는 것이다. 차단(극적인 조치)과 달리, 언팔로우는 조용한 철수다: 상대의 게시물을 더 이상 보지 않겠다는 것이다. 하지만 사람들은 알아챈다. 싸움이나 이별 후 상대가 언팔했는지 확인하는 건 현대의 의식이다. 논란 후 '대량 언팔' 사태는 집단적 반감을 보여준다. 이 행위는 동시에 사소하고(클릭 한 번이니까) 의미 있다(디지털 세계에서 누가 존재하는지를 편집하는 것이니까).

Examples

I had to unfollow him—too much drama.
我不得不取关他——太多狗血了。
Tuve que dejar de seguirle, demasiado drama.
フォロー外さざるを得なかった——ドラマが多すぎて。
언팔할 수밖에 없었어—드라마가 너무 많아서.
Did she unfollow me?
她取关我了吗？
¿Me ha dejado de seguir?
彼女、私のフォロー外した？
걔가 나 언팔한 거야?
Mass unfollow after that post.
那条帖子发出后被大量取关。
Dejaron de seguirle en masa después de esa publicación.
あの投稿の後、大量フォロー解除。
그 게시물 이후로 대량 언팔.

Pronunciation

/ʌnˈfɒləʊ/

Usage Guide

Context: social media, relationships, drama

Tone: varies—casual to significant

✓ Do Say

Unfollow
取关
Dejar de seguir
フォロー解除
언팔하다
Unfollowed
取关了
Dejé de seguir
フォロー外した
언팔했다
Did you unfollow?
你取关了吗？
¿Has dejado de seguir?
フォロー外した？
언팔한 거야?
Mass unfollow
大量取关
Dejar de seguir en masa
大量フォロー解除
대량 언팔

✗ Don't Say

Unfollowing someone can hurt even though it's 'just social media'—don't dismiss its impact
取关别人即使'只是社交媒体'也可能伤人——不要轻视其影响
Dejar de seguir a alguien puede doler aunque sea 'solo redes sociales'; no minimices su impacto
「たかがSNS」でもフォロー解除は人を傷つけることがある——その影響を軽視しないこと
언팔로우는 '그냥 소셜 미디어일 뿐'이라 해도 상처를 줄 수 있다—그 영향을 무시하지 마라
Announcing you're unfollowing someone is usually considered performative or petty
宣布你要取关某人通常被认为是做作或小气的行为
Anunciar que dejas de seguir a alguien suele considerarse teatral o mezquino
フォロー解除することを宣言するのは大抵パフォーマティブか小さいと見なされる
언팔하겠다고 공개적으로 선언하는 것은 보통 과시적이거나 쪼잔하게 여겨진다

Common Mistakes

Unfollow (stop seeing their posts) vs block (prevent all interaction)—different actions, different weights
'Soft unfollow' or 'mute' hides content without unfollowing—they don't know

Origin & History

Unfollowing became possible with the follow/follower model introduced by Twitter in 2006 and adopted by Instagram and other platforms. As social media became central to relationships, unfollowing gained emotional weight. The 'did they unfollow me?' anxiety spawned apps tracking follower changes. Celebrity unfollows make news. What's technically just removing someone from your feed has become a loaded social act with real relational implications.

Etymology: Social media terminology

First recorded: 2000s

Cultural Context

Era: 2000s onwards

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Social media culture; Celebrity drama

Regional notes: Universal social media term.

Variations

UnfollowUnfollowedSoft unfollow