Facebook is a fantastic tool for engaging with others and building relationships. I know SO many more people in real life because of it. Whether I’m connecting with family, rediscovering old friends, engaging with my current tribe, reading interesting posts or laughing at yet another funny meme, Facebook has enriched my life. But there are some uses of Facebook that make me cringe. It’s a good thing I have a full head of hair, because I find myself pulling it out when I see people I know fall prey to certain kinds of posts on Facebook. But before I do I’d like to say a couple things. There are a few reasons people make posts like this: 1) They are trying to get more likes because they need affirmation. I understand that we all need attention. It’s common to all human beings. But this isn’t the way to go about it. If you are desperate for human connection, reach out to a family member or friend. Go meet them for a cup of coffee. Pick up the phone and have a conversation. There’s no need to reach out to the masses for affirmation. You are worthy and you are loved. Get away from Facebook and hug someone. 2) They are trying to increase their Klout score. Ugh. Klout doesn’t really matter, except when it does. But why try to game the system? Just use social media in an authentic way and let the numbers be whatever they are. Don’t suck others into your need to have your ego stroked by seeing your score jump a point or two. 3) They just don’t know any better. I expect this behavior from newbies. But once you have spent some time on Facebook, there’s no excuse. So how do I respond if I see these posts on my newsfeed, I do one of two things. If you are family or a close friend, I pass by the way most people ignore a homeless person on the street. I love you and forgive you. Please stop it. If we are just Facebook “friends” and you are a repeat offender, I’ll likely keep the connection in tact, but I will unfollow you and save myself from having to see your posts. With that said, here are the five things that will cause me to unfollow you faster than a lemming about to jump over a cliff. 1) Manipulative posts that play on emotions There are appropriate times to call for help. I’m not talking about those who are in actually physical or emotional need. These posts are more like an emotional drive-by, with the intent of getting you in the same emotional state as the person posting. After all, if you DON’T share this status update, what kind of unfeeling, cruel, heartless creep must you be? I guess I’m the unfeeling, cruel, heartless creep, because I will not like, share or comment on these kinds of status updates. No. 2) Ridiculous word search puzzles I’m desperately searching for “irritated”, “annoyed” and “impatient” in this puzzle, but am coming up empty. Too bad as those are the three words that would best describe my reaction to the post. How about I just describe the first thing I do when I see this? Unfollow. 3) Tag spamming I don’t mind being tagged in a status update when I appear in a photo, video or article, or when I am (or was) actually with the person making the post. But when it’s tagging just for the sake of getting my attention, you got my attention… in the wrong way. The worst offenders are those who post inspirational quotes, seeking to spread magical pixie dust over their entire circle by tagging EVERYONE! Click the image if you need a closer look at this post which tags 100 people who do not appear in the image and are likely not currently with the original poster. My response is simple… 4) Name a city or animal without a certain letter This is the low-hanging fruit of like bait. Shall we play a game and see how smart you are? Or perhaps it’s a test to see how gullible you are. If you want to play, you’ll be surprised to know that they have removed the word “gullible” from the dictionary. 5) Post to stay friends Topping it off is this highly manipulative, and unnecessary, tactic. You may very well be at your 5000 friend limit. I have been there myself… managed it myself without requiring the aid of people I already know. But do you really need to ask people who already engage with you if they want to stay engaged with you? And to make it worse, do you need to turn it into a game in order to get comments? I’d rather see a post that just says “How did we meet? Lie about it!” than turn it into “if you are really my friend and don’t want to lose your spot as my friend prove you are my friend by doing what you already do as my friend.” ACK! Look, if you are at your friend limit, I want you to know something. First, I won’t post to let you know I’m still here. Threaten to unfriend me if you must. If our connection is that tenuous, perhaps its for the best. But more important, I want you to know that I believe in you. I believe you have the ability and intelligence to look through your friends list and recognize your own family members and friends. I believe you will be able to spot people you don’t know and ask yourself “who the heck is that?”, picking up on a prime candidate for unfriending. If all all fails, going through your friend list and discovering connections like this might help you on your quest. You’re welcome. You can do this. Yes, you can. So there you have it. Call me a curmudgeon if you wish. But I […]
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