10 Annoyances of Social Media

Over the past few decades, our world has evolved into such a technological one that it is rare to find a 15 year old without a phone. The introduction and subsequent decreasing costs of smart phones means it is easier to access the internet when out and about, instead of having to use the dial-up internet on the one computer in your house.

In most circumstances, having phones can be a blessing. Not only are they useful for phoning the police or an ambulance should an emergency arise, they are also useful when you’re trying to remember that actress’s name from that TV show you haven’t watched in years (hello, Google).

However, the easy accessibility of the internet on smart phones has led to an increase in the number of social media sites and accounts. Social media sites are a bit of a bittersweet invention. While they are useful for keeping in touch with old friends, broadcasting a message and meeting new friends (with caution), I find that there are many disadvantages with using social media and here are my top ten annoyances.

1. People favour social media over friends - one of my best friends last year posted personal life updates on Facebook before telling them to me, which caused the downfall of our friendship.
2. People are often more interested in virtual conversation than real ones - at my workplace it is a common sight to see a group of people sitting around a table all on their phones. While they may not be on Facebook or Twitter, chances are they will be on some form of social media site.
3. It can often seem that people lead the perfect life - whether people do this on purpose or not, it seems that there are certain types of people who exaggerate their lives in such a way that everything is rosy and rainbows and perfect but I know that life is anything but.
4. What you write will always be there - even if you delete it, every status, picture or link that you post will always be etched in the internet history and in the memories of those who have seen it, which is pretty embarrassing when you look back to the start of your Facebook timeline when you were 14.
5. Some people don’t realise that the internet isn’t a diary - OK, so this is a bit of a contradiction considering I use my blog as a bit of a diary in that I post life updates, but I’m referring to the people who constantly post Facebook or Twitter statuses about every small thing that is going on in their life, such as what they ate for breakfast, their days itinerary or even their private feelings about how insecure they are about their ex-boyfriend’s potential antics.
6. People rely on it - we have a workplace Facebook page that we post all information on about people who are leaving/moving stores, competitions that are happening and social evenings out. It isn’t bad to have a page like this, however it is bad when it is relied on to such an extent that those who don’t have a Facebook account or who don’t check the page very often aren’t informed of the news. The justification? “It was on the Facebook page"
7. Almost anyone can look at your page - I find that most social media sites are set by default to be public and it is only through your intervening and hiking through all of your personal settings that you can change this so only friends can message you and see your page. I have ended up on a complete random stranger’s page a few times because of mutual friends or large, open Facebook groups and have been surprised at the amount of posts that aren’t private.
8. Children on social media - I know quite a few people on Facebook who don’t meet the 13-year-old requirement to have an account, yet their parents have allowed them to get one. What I find is even worse is when their parents swear and use derogatory language freely, despite being linked with their child’s account.
9. Stranger requests - so this one is primarily aimed towards Facebook and other sites where you have to send a request to be friends with/follow someone. What I find very strange and a little unsettling is the amount of requests that I get from strangers with whom I have no mutual friends. How did you even get onto my page?!
10. They are the ultimate time-wasters - there are so many different social media sites and almost equally as many apps available for them, meaning it can be very hard to turn your phone/computer off and get on with the work that you actually have to do. I can’t even count how many times I have sat down at my computer to write a blog post and then three hours later all I have is the title because I have spent so long on Pinterest or Twitter.

So those are my top ten frustrations with social media. As I mentioned earlier, social media sites can be a blessing when it comes to advertising and connecting with other people and blogs, but  I find that personal social media accounts are just too much to handle at times!

What are your biggest frustrations with social media sites?

- Taisie ♥