Recently, I was on social media and as usual, saw memes, political posts and the usual rants and raves. However, there was another type of post that made me take pause and think.
This post was not that unusual, since I have seen it several times before from different people, but it bothered me just the same. The post in question had to do with a personal relationship, complete with details that were unnecessary for the general public to know. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know people use social media to vent, but there is a thing called decorum and discretion.
This person was complaining about the actions of somebody in their life ON A PUBLIC PAGE, making the second person look like a fool. It really bothered me because there is no way for this person to defend themselves without causing more drama. What makes it worse is the fact that people were commenting on this post, giving their two cents without knowing the other side of the story.
Not only does this put the person who the poster is complaining about in a bad light, but it doesn’t make the poster look much better. The poster looks as if they are shaming the other person for their behavior, and asking others to do the same. They are airing their dirty laundry and posting about issues that should be handled privately.
What I would like to know is….when did this become the new normal?Why do we feel it is necessary to share our personal issues with another person on social media? Nine times out of ten, this is on a public page where the post-ee (or someone they know) can see it. This can cause even MORE problems because the post-ee can feel disrespected and upset that an issue they wanted to keep private is now public knowledge. Chances are, they don’t want people to know details about a fight, break up, embarrassing moment etc. The poster needs to realize this and be more mindful before they post something that might embarrass someone else. (This goes double when it comes to posting about kids!)
My point is….think before you post. Ask yourself, is this something that could be handled privately? How would I feel if the roles were reversed? How much is too much to share? I ask myself these questions before posting something on social media and it not only helps spare the feelings of others, but it also gives me the chance to calm down before I post something I may later regret.
