Have you ever gotten on a social media platform (Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Hinge (any dating app), etc. and thought “why?” as soon as you see what that one person you secretly love to hate on social media just posted? You know who I’m talking about. The person who is unknowingly an example of what NOT to post on any social media platform. They may have even taught you a few social media dont’s without even realizing it. I guess we all do charity to some degree, huh? This individual, the social media shame, if you will, does not realize people are screenshotting what they just posted and talking about how ridiculous they look. If one does know this then more power to them but to be a series of unfortunate events I can confidently say that most of the time they have no idea.
If you have no idea what I am talking about then I am sorry to be the barrier of bad news but it is you, you are the social media shame. Luckily, like I am the barrier of bad news I am also the Grim Reaper- here to kill any chance you have of becoming or continuing to be the person featured in any negative texts. I plan to do this by letting you in on a few social media dont’s.
Kicking off our first social media don’t on our social media don’ts list we have one that I hate that I even have to include but alas, here we are. Posting stories, snaps, tweets, pictures, captions, etc. where you defame someone is out of line. Not only does it not help the situation (in fact, it more likely than not will do the exact opposite) but it makes you look bad. Trashing anyone you have beef with on social media diffuses whatever wrong they may have done to you by turning the spotlight back on yourself. You might not be explaining in detail what happened with the intention that it evicts the humanity from that person’s character but that is exactly what it comes off as to your followers. Posting details of your relationship woes and going far too into detail about what it is they did to you just makes you look bitter, not better.
Unless you’re trying to lose a vast amount of followers by the hour do not, and I cannot emphasize this enough, do NOT post a million photos of just you and your partner. I am sure you guys are precious but come on, even Barbie and Ken have their own things going on. You are not your relationship. You are someone in a relationship.
THIS ONE *raises a fist to the sky, shakes it, and looks up cursing humanity* THIS ONE baffles me. If I hadn’t deleted my Instagram app already, scrolling through to find a wavy wall, mirror, fan, unsuspecting animal, prop (aka friend who just happened to be in the photo), or any object that has fallen victim to poor editing skills would do the trick. When I asked my friends what people do that annoy them the most on social media this one was the majority’s immediate response. I don’t have any qualms with someone editing their photos. You are what wet dreams are made of with or without any editing. Nothing is real on social media anyway so what’s one more visual lie or exaggeration of the truth going to hurt? That is if it is a lie, or in this case an edit, done well. If it is an edit so blasphemously distorted then why bother doing it in the first place? Now, instead of being distracted by your beauty, we are distracted by the demonic wall lunging towards your left shoulder. With this being said, edit until your heart’s content but make sure not to completely detonate the integrity of the photo. Remember, while the main character (you) is important, the background characters (whatever is accompanying you in the photo) can make or break the performance just as easily. Having a background character that is clearly being compromised in hopes to raise the main character’s superiority only reveals the flaws of the main character rather than hides them and isn’t the point in editing your photos to hide certain aspects of the photo? Be the main character everyone loves; not the main character everyone loves to hate.
Okay, this one I am guilty of. I can admit it! Still, I can recognize that clicking through someone’s stories only to see their pet move from one end of the room to the next, gets old. Will I stop posting an ungodly amount of stories on my Snapchat featuring Gertie (my cat)? Probably not. Will I suggest you don’t do the same? Yep. At the end of the day, nobody loves your fur baby like you do. It’s not possible. No matter how many photos or videos you post of them being adorable the audience will not truly understand the perfection that is your pet like you do. Therefore, they will not be nearly as interested in them as you are. It’s a harsh truth, I know. What can I say? Humanity is flawed.
Whether you’re a movie guru, avid tv show watcher, or a book burrowing baller, it’s a bummer when you’re invested in a show, movie, book, or what have you, and someone either inadvertently or purposely spoils the storyline for you. It might not be on purpose but either way, it ruins some of the fun of figuring out what’s going to happen next when someone posts a spoiler on their social media. This isn’t a crime but it is a misdemeanor in the realm of what not to post on your social media. If you must post a spoiler then be sure to first clarify that what you are about to post or what will follow said post is indeed a spoiler. An easy solution to a minor mistake.
Imagine scrolling through your feed and bam, without warning, a gory photo is cascaded across your screen and burned right into your memory so viciously you can hear the sizzle and smell the smoke. I am not too happy to report that this happens more times than not. Listen, Jason, no one wants to see your failed basketball shot that landed you in the ER with 5 less teeth and 15 new stitches. Reserve those posts for your texts and DMs. If you are talking with your friends and they want to see how badly life manhandled you by all means be my guest but for most people, blood and gore are not what they’re looking for when passing the time on social media.
I am a big supporter of being your own biggest fan. If you’re not head over heels in love with yourself then how is anyone else going to be? Even so, this support does have a limit. If all you do is post selfies then let’s not and never say we did. Not because you’re not deserving to be the main attraction on your social media platforms but because people’s attention spans are short. I mean, look at Hollywood. One second you’re in and the next you’re doing Progressive commercials where Flo is the star and you’re the extra. What I’m saying is, this has nothing to do with looks and everything to do with leaving the people wanting more. If you want to post only selfies, do it. Just don’t overdo it by posting one every day. People need to be reminded that seeing you is a privilege and oddly enough sometimes that means seeing less of you so when they do it’s even more of a prize.
This is pretty simple. If people follow you then they probably know you exist. There is no need to remind them every second of every day by abusing social media rights. Jumping into every trending conversation, tweeting five times a day, posting 3 times a day, changing your status every day and so on, is a lot. Putting down your phone or closing your laptop is a skill we all can improve on. Taking a break from social media is the medicine everyone should be taking more doses of. I assure you that your silence on social media will not subject you to being forgotten by your peers or followers.
Regardless of it being a pandemic and concerts no longer being what they used to, reach back in your memory or maybe on your phone’s and you will remember when people would go to concerts and post 12 stories all of which were a concert they were attending. You would watch maybe one or two of their stories before you called it quits. The point is, hearing someone sing along to a band while you get motion sickness from them bouncing around isn’t fun for the people watching. Apart from that certainty, holding up a phone trying to capture an experience for others instead of living it sans distractions is quite a shame.
Finally, it’s so easy to have a night out, get carried away, go rogue on your phone and wake up the next day with a growling hangover and a series of roaring regrets replaying over and over again on your timeline. Needless to say, you can delete the post, stories, and words but you can’t delete the actions displayed nor those who saw them. This is why it’s best to refrain from posting on your social media accounts when drinking. Besides, being off your phone while out or with people leaves more space for fun to join in and lead the night ahead.
Enough about what I think- tell me your thoughts! What posts do you get annoyed with on social media? What sort of posts would you like to see more of? In this case, feel free to go as far into detail as you wish. I welcome it like I welcome your opinions. Don’t be shy, post some more!
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