In case you’ve missed my past Gripes, you should know that a lot of stuff annoys me. In general, I’m incensed by traffic jams, bad manners, closed-minded individuals, and group texts. I’m also a social media manager, which means I spend time on social channels to earn my paycheck.
It’s my job to check on my clients’ pages, however, this means I also must sign into my own Facebook page… and I hate it. The amount of ridiculousness on social media makes me want to delete my profiles and hide in a cabin in the woods where internet doesn’t exist. It is a part of the job, so the show must go on. It’s cathartic to me share my gripes, so here are the top five things that drive me nuts on social media.
Faking It. I understand the “fake it til you make it” mentality as a business maxim. It’s not bad advice for those trying to maintain a positive attitude on their journey. However, there is such a thing as going overboard to a point where it’s entirely false. For example, someone involved in a toxic relationship who posts photos claiming they love their ‘pookie.’ If it’s not happening in real life, posting it on social media won’t convince people otherwise. Whatever your gig is, live it. Don’t fake the funk.
Prune Face. Prune Face = say the word “prune” as someone takes your photo. You end up with that pursed lip, mouth half-open, just hatched out of an egg yesterday looking photo. Stop it. Smile, don’t smile, throw up a peace sign… I don’t care. Just stop with the lip action.
Slurs. If you want to speak like a Neanderthal in the privacy of your own home, have at it Hoss, but don’t burden my news feed with your intense bigotry. Please stop calling people names as you cowardly hide behind your phone or laptop. It won’t take people long to deduce ignorance simply from the way something is said, even without using horrible words.
Grammar/Spelling. Computers will let you know if they believe you’ve spelled something wrong. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that ninety percent of the time, they’re right. You spelled it wrong. FIX IT! Grammar is a little bit more difficult, but there is nothing more disheartening than seeing an educated man use the wrong form of your. Trust me on that one, folks.
“I Bet You Won’t” Posts. If I don’t repost what you’ve posted should not mean that I don’t care about the troops, cancer, suicide, homeless animals, victims of natural disasters, or the people who’ve lost their lives due to human atrocities. Trust me, I care. In my own way with my own time. I simply do not like to annoy my friends on Facebook by trying to goad them into reposting something.
If you’re committing one of these peeves on social media, please be aware of your actions. You could be alienating your friends or family without avail. Simply put, think before you post, share or pose!
