Social media is a phenomenal platform that allows individuals to connect with one another in an entertaining, amusing environment (or at least it should be). Because social media is available to anyone with access to the Internet, businesses can’t really regulate who forms accounts. Businesses don’t know people and therefore they can’t really turn anyone way from their social media site. They can’t say something like “Mr. Schvencklevas, we regret to inform you that you have been denied access to the site, based on the fact that we do not like your name.” Everyone is accepted into the social media community. Every. Single. Person.
Every person; meaning your Great Aunt that will constantly embarrass you, that one guy who lived in your apartment building that constantly puts a period after every word in an sentence (“Today. Was. A. Great. Day.”), and that girl you went to middle school with who posts hundreds of photos of her dog.
People need to learn that you have to follow certain rules on social media, or else no one will like you and then there will be no point to your social media account. Whether it’s Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc., all social media sites have some unsaid rules that you should follow.
No
extreme PDA
Your friends understand that you love your significant other.
They get it. You don’t have to post a picture of you making out on top of your
significant other for your friends to understand your extreme obsession with
him or her.
No Pixely
Photos
“Wait, are you holding your cat or your little sister?”
Already
Eaten Food
Don’t get me wrong, pictures of food can be captivating and can
make your viewers incredibly jealous. However, once you take a bite out of that
food, your soon-to-be-taken picture is ruined. There is nothing appetizing
about your half-eaten waffle that is now soggy from the syrup.
Multi-Pictures from the Same Event
This rule
only applies for Instagram. For Facebook, make a whole album of your day and
post as many pictures as you want; it doesn’t disrupt your friend’s feeds like
it does on Instagram.
Selfies
in the Bathroom
Sometimes it is easier to take a selfie in a mirror,
mostly because the front camera on your phone can’t fully capture your OOTD.
And, yes, bathrooms usually are more likely to have a mirror than basically any
other room in a building. But, when you take a picture in a bathroom mirror,
make sure it doesn’t look like you are in a bathroom. There is nothing that
makes a person not want to “like” a photo more than seeing a toilet in the
background.
Screenshots
of Inside Conversations
NO ONE UNDERSTANDS. You and your best friend may
think what you text each other back and forth is funny, but no one else does.
Your conversation is not funny, it does not make sense, and mostly people are
just going to look at the picture and judge you on the way you text or the
Emoji’s you use.
Deceased
People
I am really sorry that your great-grandpa passed away, but people do
not want to see a dead person. Post a status of how much you loved them, post a
picture of their memorial service, post a picture of you guys hanging out in
the past, but people DO NOT want to see a dead body.
Bad-Mouthing
People
Don’t you dare post that status about how annoying your coworker
is, or about how a girl in your class is wearing a hideous sweater. Not only
does talking bad about people make people think less of you, but with everyone
being so connected through social media, I guarantee your coworker and that
girl will find out what you said about them, and you will be in a bit of an
awkward pickle.
