There’s trouble in paradise lately between social media and its users. More-so than usual, people everywhere are bemoaning the frequency and questioning the usefulness of status updates from Facebook users, the caliber of the tweets tweeters send on Twitter, or the quality of the Instagram pictures people share. While I think we’ve all resorted to the frequent eye-roll or exasperated sigh at the content we’re bombarded with on our respective social media feeds, I think there’s one important question we need to ask ourselves: what did we really expect we were getting ourselves into?
Image from Google
The basis of social media is that it offers us the opportunity to share just about whatever we want of our lives in text, picture, or video format. The tricky part about that is this: it’s still based on our everyday lives, which usually, are only occasionally exciting. So when someone posts a (questionably) funny remark about their parents, an anecdote about something their dog did today, or a happy birthday message to their aunt, should we really expect anything more? This is the boring stuff of our everyday existence. Granted, it’s nonessential information, but what else should one be posting about? Political events you’re not informed enough to comment on? Social issues you have no interest in? Books you haven’t read? Social media is predicated on the notion that every happenstance, thought, or event the user deems worthy is fair game to throw up on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and I guess we’ve all been a little let down by the realization that everyone else’s lives are every bit as boring as ours.
Though, lately, it seems the complainers’ numbers are increasing–it takes a little time for people to get jaded. The concept behind social media hasn’t really changed that terribly much since its acceptance into our culture, so the only explanation for this increase in criticism must be because people are simply getting bored with it. Is that a legitimate reason to voice complaints about something that you once happily participated in? I don’t know the definitive answer to that, but it’s clear a lot of people think it is. What’s most fascinating is that many of these complaints about the vacuousness of social media posts are actually posted on social media platforms. Oh, the irony!
What I humbly suggest disillusioned users to keep in mind is that your social media presence is really what you make it. If you’re fed up with the lackluster Instagrams of someone’s lunch, the ambiguous lyrical Facebook status update that foretell a relationship status change to “it’s complicated,” or the mindless tweets about doing laundry, you’ve got three options. First: set an example by sharing some updates from the clearly much more exciting, thrilling, and intellectual life you must lead; two, opt out of social media altogether and become a curmudgeonly recluse; or three, accept social media for what it is: a place for people to share any manner of humorous, though old, Youtube videos and original, though banal, introspections that really belong in a locked diary under your bed. Unfortunately, we’ve created this monster, at the very least we can acknowledge that.
Some social media updates I’m personally working on:
- Happy Birthday Mom! Even though you don’t have a Facebook, will never see this, and none of my friends care, I want to broadcast to everyone that you managed to live another year, and that I obviously must have a close-knit family since I write status updates about family member’s birthdays.
- I’m about to Instagram a picture of a weird mole–”like” it if it looks like Melanoma to you.
- I’m going to tweet a picture of myself with #nomakeup, but really I’ll be wearing foundation, concealer, eyeliner, and mascara. Nobody can tell, right?
Speak for yourself… my life is awesome! In fact, I took a break from fighting a shark to read and comment on this post… what the fuck have you done with YOUR life!?!?!
Yeah, yeah. Not all of us can be traveling all over the world.
Do blogs count as social media? I use Facebook to see what stupid things “my friends” say. I use twitter to stalk celebrities and I use instagram to stalk celebrities. Sometimes I think about posting clever things to Facebook and twitter, but it seems like doing stand up to an empty room.
Hmm.. Now that you mention it, I guess they do. That’s pretty much what I use Facebook for–it’s less about me now so much as it’s an outlet for my voyeurism. It’s nice to sometimes get that “like” on Facebook. I only follow like two people on instagram, and they’re my close friends, because I’m worried other people would judge the lame things I take pictures of.
I actually prefer to get likes on my blog than Facebook. Facebook is supposed to be your “friends” and if they really were they would at least comment instead of pushing a button that said like. Needless to say, I am with just about everyone else on earth who is bitter about Facebook, but refuses to cancel their account. Yes, I am a hypocrite just like the rest of earth.
I have since time immemorial took sabbatical leaves from facebook and twitter. If they are happy counting and posting how many times they had farted in a day, how their babies look at every angle every minute, and the latest party events they attended, I am terribly bored at those monotonous monologues and monograms.
Lately, though, I was amused at how two young lovers simultaneously changed their status from single to “in a relationship with (mentioning each other’s name)” and created two warring factions of their respective families. LOL.
It definitely does get boring, especially when you see the same kinds of posts from different people that you’re friends with. The entertainment aspect though, like you mentioned, is what keeps me hooked. How else could I laugh about someone’s drama-filled private life if they didn’t broadcast it for the world to see?!
Lil sis, your new page looks awesome! I think it looks much better on you. Was it a paid upgrade, or a free template?
As far as social media goes, I am so tapped out with FB. I could care less about all of the drama – from redundant updates and food pictures, to all of the unannounced changes that are constantly made to the site – it’s nothing I want or need.
However! I love Twitter. I’m a late-comer so I haven’t burned out yet. I like how it’s compact and uncluttered. It gives you access to everything without having to look at obnoxious pictures, etc.
Let me know about the page details. I’m considering doing something big, and possibly something stupid at the same time. The suspense.
Thank ya! I agree, and yeah this is a paid upgrade. I noticed I stopped using Facebook that often once I graduated college. Like, back in college it was a place for everyone to complain in common about papers/homework/sleeplessness, but now that most of the people that I’m friends with have also graduated it’s turned into a free-for-all.
I’m actually a late-comer to Twitter too, but I feel like I don’t get it or something. I do my little updates but, I don’t know. Something’s going over my head. I’ll figure it out eventually.
Something big!? Now you’ve got me curious!
I’m with you on your Twitter comment. I don’t fully get it yet, either. Matter of fact, that’s exactly how I fee, like something is going over my head haha!
It seems like there is a lot of stuff being posted, but I never look at any of the links. I don’t think anyone does, to be honest.
I love the cartoon! That’s one thing that drives me mad on Facebook – the constant requests for you to join some game. I got sucked into Farmville, I’m not letting it happen again! PS – I like this new header. I noticed you changed it a few days ago, but this one is better
Well, I several different ones that it changes between now, so the next time you visit it might be back to the one you don’t like.
I’ve also decided to do away with using verbs in sentences.
Why not, who needs pesky verbs anyway? A constantly changing header – I’m jealous (I’ll just close my eyes when the one I’m not keen on pops up)
Well now I HAVE to know which one it is!
I tried to reply yesterday but the computer wouldn’t let me! I have been backwards and forwards a few times and have counted about 5 different ones – is that right? How many are there? Out of the 5 I did see, not one of them is the one I was referring too (does that makes sense? It’s Monday morning.) Maybe I imagined it! I do have a favourite though – the one with the pink bubbly & symbol. It looks like a little baby all curled up in a womb. A cute baby. I realise that this comment may make you run and change it because you are abhorred by the fact that an & symbol looks like a cute foetus. I’ll let you know if the ‘rogue’ one turns up.
I think if people called other people out more for stupid Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc posts social media would be more…fun and less trivial.
Probably, and even if not, the exchange would be mildly entertaining for a while.
Made me laugh – great tweeting.
Thank you!