Social media has undeniably become part of our daily lives; a serious addiction to some. We all know of people who share everything and anything with their followers, sometimes going a little too far. Social media is a double edged sword and there is need to draw the line as far as your public life is concerned. Here are some of the things best kept to yourself.
1. Relationship details
The moment you decide to put your relationship on social media, you forgo all privacy and you open it up to judgement and scrutiny from strangers. Social media is not the place to seek authentication, neither it is, the place to share your private details about your relationships.
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On social media, what seems intimate now will unprecedentedly turn into a show for people, as they do what they love best: comment, gossip and waiting for your downfall.
2. ‘I hate my job’
If you’re struggling with your job and you have a few grievances, you might want to save your venting energy than put it up on social media. Posts such as ‘I hate this job’ or ‘One day I’ll work for an employer who appreciates me’ may have a negative impact on your career, both presently and in future, as your employer has a likelihood of seeing them.
3. Home address
Unless your social profile is only accessible to few trustworthy people known personally to you, then you might want to keep your home address private. Putting the address online might interest the wrong people including burglars and kidnappers. In case a site requires you to indicate your location, just change your settings to ‘private’ instead of ‘public’.
4. Explicit content
It’s said that Internet never forgets. So, it’s important to keep private matters private. Things get heated up quickly and people like unearthing things from the past anytime they get the slightest chance.
Remember things shared on the Internet may never get deleted, even if you remove them from your profile. But you never know how many people have already downloaded it, took screenshots and preserved it for ‘future reference’.
5. Your financial status
Whether you want to flaunt or brag, keep your financial status to yourself. You probably want to blow your horn and a few people might envy your lifestyle here and there and this might just attract the wrong people. No matter how much you want to count your blessings, name them one by one in your privacy. Not everybody wishes you well.
6. Gossip and personalised attacks
There are people known as ‘keypad warriors’. They are always the first ones to share gossip even without first having to verify the information. In case you fall in this category, I suggest you keep these pep talks to yourself without necessarily typing them and sharing it out for people to analyse your level of intelligence.
7. Other people’s business
Unless you are TMZ (a tabloid news [gossip] website) and you’re getting paid for it, it’s not your place to share it. Whether it’s your best friend’s new-born child or your sister’s engagement, let them share it first then ask for permission from them to share it too. Sharing other people’s news on their behalf without their approvals shows a certain level of immaturity.
8. Screenshots of private conversations
Anytime you want to post a private conversation you had with someone, unless the person has given consent to it, kindly don’t post it. You come out as someone who could never be trusted. A private conversation is ‘private’ for a reason; taking screenshots and posting them online for all and sundry to see is disrespectful and immature.
9. Inappropriate posts at sombre events
You’ve seen people take selfies at burial ceremonies or accident scenes, right? Doesn’t it tick you off? Some places and occasions call for respect. That’s why you — online shutterbug wannabes — shouldn’t be taking selfies or videos while smiling or laughing during funerals or other sombre occasions.
10. Confessions
Online confessions are like fodder to social media fanatics. Just like your relationship, make confessions to those who relate to it and not for the public. People in digital social sites will judge the situations and probably give their two cents that you might not want to hear.
So, next time before posting your confession on a public social site, just have a second thought before clicking that ‘post’ button. It is just sad that half, or even more, of your online audience won’t give it a hoot!
