1. People don't consider their audience.
You have 842 "friends" consisting of everyone you can track down that you went to school with (Elementary, Middle HS and College), your kids' friends parents or anyone you have talked to at your kid's school, their teachers, family, neighbors, work colleagues (past and present), church members, and the crew hat makes your cappuccino at Starbucks.
No one has been left out, and therein lies the problem. Everyone sees everything, and only about 16 of your "friends" care about any given post (psst, that's just 2%). The rest of us have to sift through all the crap you post that is not of interest or relevant to get to something that is even remotely interesting. Multiply that by the 253 "friends" I have all who post multiple times a day and it's exhausting.
You post too much about .....
Your workouts. You don't need to share your workout every day with 300 people. We really don't care, and we stopped cheering for you after the first 3 status updates about your workouts that you posted. I don't need to know EVERY DAY that you ran or went to CrossFit. Maybe start a little exercise buddy group page of people who care, and leave the rest of us out of it. By all means, if you meet a significant milestone, post it and I will be more than happy to stand up and cheer for you.
Your kids. Your kids are adorable, and I know you are super proud, as all moms are, but I see them more than I see my own kids. I don't need to go to new student orientation with them or lunch, and look, there they are riding their bike. Never mind that they are 12 and have been riding for years. Oh, and there you are eating lunch in a restaurant with them. I've never seen children eat in a restaurant before. Thank you for sharing.
I don't need to see pictures of every sporting event, meet, dane recital, competition, and I certainly don't need to see 72 of the best shots of said event. Grandparents and your best friends are obligated and probably want to see that, but the rest of us, your banker, your clients, your roommate of 20 years ago, we really don't really care. Post every once in a while for the big things, and if it's funny, even better (But please don't be funny at your kid's expense. That's just mean).
Your memories. The occasional memory is great. Seeing how cute they were 10 years ago on Halloween or the Kindergarten versus Senior year photo is really cool. I don't need a memory a day (or even a week) though. It's too much, and it makes me think you have no life in the present.
Your Inspirational Quotes. Stop it, just stop it. You are embarrassing yourself. We know the breakup went badly after seeing day 12 post 325 still along the lines of "I don't want someone perfect, I want someone who appreciate me/loves me for who I am/etc.,".. or "If someone truly loves you, they..." We all know you talking about him, but you look like an emotional crazy person posting 20 "I will survive" quotes on FB. Again, remember who your audience is. Do you really want a potential client to see this? Go it the old fashion way. Get with your best friend, stuff yourself with ice cream while talking shit about your ex. Sing sad ballads or rock anthems about moving on, but don't air your dirt laundry all over FB 20 times a day being passive aggressive hoping your ex is looking at your feed. They are not, and if they are they don't care or they are saying, "phew, I dodged a bullet there." and all his/her friends are agreeing.
Stupid news articles that really are "fake" news. Please google shit or check Snopes before you repost some dumbass article that doesn't make sense. Like, this politician didn't stand up for the national anthem! Or this one wants to do this (insert some outrageous thing). Before you make yourself look real stupid, look at the source of the story, then do a 10 second google search because again, I'm guessing that at least 75% of your super broad audience of friends are going to think you have lost your head.
Your every day stuff every day. You post that you had a bad commute, every. day. You post your breakfast/lunch/dinner. every. day. You post someone pissed you off. You post that you got a new car, However, now that you are 53, I am surprised that you felt the need to post about it 5 times this week (Yes, we know it's blue. Yes, we know it's fast. Yes, we know it's an Audi/BMW/Mustang/whatever). We live on this planet too, so we too deal with assholes, bad commutes, buy vehicles, eat in restaurants, and other mundane stuff that make up daily life on planet earth. I don't need to keep up with your daily existence too.
Look, I'm not trying to be a bitch here. I want to see your kids, hear from you, support your fundraising or awareness causes, or your business. I love a funny meme, an interesting article, or a great recipe as well as the next gal, and I don't even mind the occasional political rant (within reason), but that is the key word....occasional. Show a little restraint. If you only had 5 posts this week, what would you post? You would post the best of your week, and that is what I want to see.
Here is a little heart to heart because I care about you. If you are spending that much time on FB, then oh, honey, I feel bad for you because you are not living. You need to find a close friend, a real friend, who cares to listen to all that stupid shit that no one else cares about.
We reach out through FB to feel closer to others, but it doesn't work. We are scrolling and posting for connection, but the more we do the more alone we feel. There is plenty of studies to back this up (Google it, you need the practice). It makes you feel like a fake and like everyone else is having more fun than you. I think you can see it for yourself as well, if you take a step back.
Use those hours you spend on FB to have coffee with a real flesh and blood person. Invite one of those "sort of know" school moms for a latte and get to know her a little better in person. Use those hours to work a little towards a goal of yours that you have been putting off because you don't have enough time. No one ever said, "Man, I'm really proud I spent 4 hours today (or more) on social media." Drive your butt to a new restaurant or that cute little store and see something new and out of the routine. That is how you find happiness and connection, and if you find a hidden gem, then post about it.
Comments
Post a Comment