When was the last time you checked facebook? Is it on another tab on your computer as you’re reading this? Have you scrolled down your news feed in the past hour and casually liked someone status who if you saw them in the street you probably wouldn’t have even have said hello to?
We all know the stereotype of the nerd sat on their computer hours on end, their eyes turning square shaped but are we all slowly becoming that person?
I’m not criticising anyone, I myself am guilty of constantly refreshing my news feed to find out what my friends/acquaintances are up to every day on the train home, but is it becoming an addiction?
Only last week I was out for dinner with five of my friends (we went to Viva Cuba on Kirkstall Road, it’s tapas food, I strongly recommend it) and we all noticed how subconsciously our phones had all ended up next to us on the table. It’s almost as if we fear not being able to access what our friends are doing 24/7.
I’m not here to try to convert everyone away from Facebook; in fact it is extremely useful. I’m not sure anyone will be able to think of an event or birthday in the past ten years that they have not been invited to via Facebook or social networking and of course it’s a completely free way of communicating and can often be highly entertaining (see status below). However there are some traits that seem to prove the fact that we all need to step away from our smart phone and remember we are still capable of communicating face to face.
There’s always those few people on Facebook that do your head in, they produce a status every half an hour on average, block up your news feed with their random, often pointless, opinions and inevitably get removed and blocked (not deleted as obviously that is almost like actually confronting them about their annoying behaviour.) If you’re reading this and thinking I don’t have people like that on my Facebook then I’m afraid to tell you that you might be THE annoying person everyone’s thought about as they are reading this.
Therefore here are some pointers to tone down the addiction and make sure you don’t become that irritating person on everyone’s feed:
- Status’s just for the sake of it: e.g. Oh Wow, you’re in Asda are you? Is anything interesting happening there? No it’s not…oh right so you’re just wasting valuable seconds of my life while I take the time to read this? Oh good I’m glad we could get that cleared up. Not Cool.
- Uploading endless pictures of yourself: Ok so you’re an attractive twenty something year old, you’ve been on a night out, you’d bought a new outfit and someone took a nice picture, fair enough, by all means upload it, however albums titled “me” that contain twenty pictures all exactly the same except your head is tilted in a different direction is more than just vain.
- Going on an Otley Run and tagging yourself every time you move on to a different place. Let’s be honest with this one, what are you actually gaining by doing this? Are you even having a good time or are you just sat on your phone all night wanting people to think you are?
- Moving on… whilst on a night out or at a meal, it has to be one of the most annoying things when someone has their phone out, is not responding to the conversation and to then realise that all they are doing is scrolling down their feed is highly frustrating especially when they interrupt you to say “oh my god you’ll never guess who’s pregnant?” or “have you seen so and so’s new girlfriend, she’s minging.” No I haven’t seen that because I am trying to participate in the real world with you which does not involve my phone at all.
- Tagging people in everything you do. We get it you have friends; you get on well with them. But every time you see one we do not need to know the amazing LOL times you’ve just shared.
- Are you single? I would never have guessed with status’s containing Beyonce lyrics and you telling everyone that you’re fed up of being treated like an idiot – it’s time to move on. But what’s worse is if you’re in a relationship. Trying not to vomit as you read someone’s undying love to their partner broadcast to the rest of the world: “I love my baby so much, they mean the world to me, I don’t know what I would do without you, love you sugar plum cuddles, me and you for life.” Don’t…just don’t.
- And lastly do you feel down/in need of some affection? Then why not try a simple attention seeking status such as “had enough, could life get any worse?” It will be then followed by ten of your closest friends asking “what’s up hun?” / “ring me if you need me hope you’re ok.” Mission complete.
I’m not saying our generation will ever be able to tear themselves away from social networking. And we shouldn’t have to. Social networking is becoming such a powerful tool in businesses and in our own careers. However there is still the case of too much information, so if any of these statuses or traits sounds like people on your facebook maybe copy and paste this article to their page. A nudge in the right direction may be just what they need to teach them the error of their ways!