Disclaimer: This was not written to offend and is actually here to open the lines of real life conversation.
Net-rage: Like road-rage but in terms of people doing stupid and/or pointless shit online.
These days over-sharing has become somewhat of a norm online. It seems like I can’t go a few minutes without people letting me know that they had a cheese sandwich for lunch, how much they pressed at the gym, who they’ll be voting for in a general election or just proud parents telling everyone that their toddler has finally used the toilet after what seemed, to their online acquaintances, like decades of potty training. Rather than telling you face to face in polite conversation, social media has made it so easy to overshare these tit-bits of life with your nearest, dearest, family and friends from school that you never actually talk to (but added to see if their life was better than yours). This used to grind at me, some of it still does and true to part of my name, I have done my fair share of ranting over this.
Don’t get me wrong, It’s not all bad, and certainly not limited to negative sharing. People over share about good stuff too…
This is something that a: has driven me nuts and b: is probably definitely something I have done myself… I’m not perfect, I’m merely saying don’t OVER share.
Cut to the chase…
Now I’ve done the nicey-nicey thing and made you feel better about posting about your decreasing waist line (go you!) and documenting Jr’s life like the Truman show, lets look at the people who need to get out more and speak to 3d people…
Moaners
Ironic really given that this whole post is a bit of a moan but you’ve chosen to read this, I’m not shoving it down your throat 30 times a week….
Be it about the weather or the insane amount of traffic you had to negotiate this morning to get to the job that you seem to dislike heavily… who cares! Other than bringing everyone else down with you, what do you think this achieves? Not to mention, unless you have some decent privacy settings, you’re opening the doors to future employers seeing exactly what you think about your job and your general outlook on life.
Parents
I am in no way saying that you shouldn’t show off the beautiful little human you created, but hey lets keep it to a tasteful amount of photos and please don’t ever moan about them on social media (because the internet keeps this stuff FOREVER and kids are likely to want to see what mummy and daddy were like when they were young). I’m very lucky to have friends who get this 100% right, although I have had a few (now un-friended) folks who would take photos of what seemed like every moment of their little angel’s life. As a photography geek I am totally likely to one day document everything baby does, I will not bore everyone else with the fruits of it – unless I get asked.
New relationshippers
You’re in love, we get it. Showing it off all the time just makes you look really insecure about your relationship and potentially a bit of a bunny boiler.
New singletons
Posting self help bullshit is a waste of time (even with nice fonts and pretty backgrounds) and also gives that good ol’ bunny boiler look (with a lot less effort). Save the “why me?” and the “he/she is an awful person” stuff for when you’re drunk with your best friend, it’s their job to fall on the sword.
Political nonsense
This is probably the main reason for this post. I don’t care who you vote for, there’s bad and good sides to every political party and just because you support one and I don’t doesn’t give you carte blanche to verbally savage my own views. Just don’t.
Holiday goers
This is more a green eyed monster thing. I don’t need to see a blow by blow update of everything you did on your holiday as it’s happening. This includes but is not limited to:
- What you ate for every meal
- Drinking your bodyweight in gin/vodka/beer
- Sunsets
- That temple/church/cathedral/unusual building that you saw today
- Homeless Cats
- The beach
- Forms of travel shots (out of the window of your coach/train/taxi)
Save it for when you get home, get off social media and HAVE YOUR BLOODY HOLIDAY! After you’re home, by all means make me jealous that you have enough disposable income and a partner/friends to actually leave the country with.