Social media has been around since the dawn of time, or 1997, depending on when you were born. With the start of Six Degrees came the start of oversharing on social media. Okay, fine, it was a little different and the sharing of one’s life frequently is a habit that many people struggle with on Facebook today, especially.
It used to be common knowledge and proper etiquette to tell your close friends and family members about something that has happened in your life before you pass it onto acquaintances and somewhat close friends, but who aren’t “need to know everything” close. Now, more and more people are finding it easier to simply go straight to social media to share the news of engagements, new babies, new jobs, and everything in between and are forgetting to tell those close to them about what is going on. It’s not fair for someone that you share DNA with to find out that you’re engaged at the same time as some random person that was only partially relevant in your life for a few months in 2005.
When you share your news with the masses and skip over the people in your life that may also be affected by your news, whether in a positive or negative way, you are still telling them the same thing: you are as important to me as the guy that I sat next to in Biology during my Junior year of high school. To be honest, it hurts to be on the receiving end and makes you feel kind of worthless.
Just as you shouldn’t talk with food in your mouth, you shouldn’t over-share or even prematurely share anything about your life on social media. When you post about your life, good or bad, you are essentially talking with food in your mouth. In addition to that, sometimes things are said in the heat of the moment and you say things you regret. Sure, you can delete the post or edit your words, but it’s 2017 – nothing is ever 100% deleted and screenshots are a thing. What is best in these situations is to step back, think hard about what you need to say (or if you need to say anything at all,) type your post, re-read it, and delete it – it’s no one’s business.
Here are some basic social media guidelines straight from The Emily Post Institute:
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It’s okay to ignore a friend request
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Untag yourself from a photo or ask a friend to remove a photo of you from their page
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Delete a friend’s comment on your page
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Unfriend someone whose presence on your page makes you uncomfortable
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Ignore quizzes, groups, or widely marketed event requests
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Use privacy settings to restrict access to your page
Although not on her list, but equally important, before sharing news about your life, put yourself on the receiving end of it. If your best friend got a new job and told all of Facebook before telling you, how would you feel?