Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Social Media A.D.D.

As I was telling my colleagues at the Huntington Beach ABWA Wavecrester's last night, there are three times that you shouldn't post on your social media sites. I call it the Social Media A.D.D. syndrome. Let me explain:

A = Angry
If you are feeling strong negative emotions about something, it's probably a good idea to take some time to meditate, take deep breaths, go to your happy place, BEFORE you sit down to compose a post. The world does not need more hate - we have plenty of that already. I'm all about being passionate about something you deeply care about, but please be responsible about how you share it.

D1 = Depressed
Going beyond the fact that people really don't want to hear your problems, let's talk about what you're putting out there. Remember that phrase your mom always said, "Misery loves company"? If you're unhappy, the best thing to do is surround yourself with people who are happy and make you laugh. Post something negative and you will probably get a bunch of people feeling sorry for you. Does that help? Does it solve your problem? No. It just makes you look pathetic. So, share your issues with a professional if you must, but your social media site is not the place for "poor me" behavior.

D2 = Drunk
Ah, yes. I'll bet a good percentage of you are guilty of posting while under the influence of alcohol. I see it now: You're in a bar with a couple of friends and you want to make the other friends who flaked on you jealous of the fun that you are having without them. So... you defiantly decide you'll post a picture of the "good time" with some select comments on your handy-dandy smart phone. Oh, how you laugh... until you see it the next morning and realize that 235 people you're connected to on Facebook saw your clever post. Quick, delete it!! Alas... it's too late. You've already received 24 comments on it, one of them from your 13-year-old daughter who just shared it with her friends.

I've seen them all. I'm sure you have too. When you come across that hate post, poor me post or I'm going to regret this later post, make a mental note of how it makes you feel (i.e. disgusted, embarrassed for him/her, intense disagreement) and resolve not to follow in the same footsteps. If I fall into any of these categories while in a weak moment, I encourage you to throw this blog post in my face. I'll do the same for you.

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