5 Things We ALL Need to Stop Doing on Facebook

How I present myself on Social Media is a reflection of who I am and it matters. Why? Because we are living in a new day and age where we are called to accountability for so much more than just what we present face-to-face. That being said, let me start by saying that I know I’ve been guilty of doing each and every item on this list. Hence the wording that WE all need to stop doing these things on Facebook. This is not stone tossing, this is a wake up call for all of us.

Without further ado, here are 5 things we ALL need to stop doing on Facebook:

1. Being Debbie Downer. We all have that friend. You may have long ago clicked the “Unfollow” button on their page because it seems as if they can find a way to turn literally anything into something negative. Their posts are filled with woes and hardships or just really little things that seem super huge to them. It’s not that their concerns aren’t valid or that they may not be legitimately upset about something, but their insistence on reporting only the negative aspects of their life make them hard to bare and pretty unpopular in terms of desired Facebook friendships.
2. Being Susy Sunshine 24-7. This may seem contradictory to the previous item on the list, so let me explain. When I first became a mom I was ransacked with guilt over what I felt was my complete inability as a mother. I looked at Facebook pages of my other mom friends and saw posts filled only with the tales of their homemade baby food, precious images of their flawlessly clean, ever-smiling babies, and their gourmet dinners served on spotless tables. I felt so inadequate. And no, it’s no one’s fault but my own that I felt that way. It was SO greatly appreciated, however,  when I came across the rare honest post from a mom who admitted that she was eagerly anticipating the kids’ bedtime so that she could finally get a shower that day.
3. Passive Aggressive is not passive at all. Ever seen a post that said something like “I really hate when certain people do (insert certain thing).” Like, we get it. You obviously want to tell someone off but you don’t want to actually tag them or, you know, sit down and talk to them to sort it out. Instead, you just post passive aggressively on Facebook in hopes that they’ll see it. Stop that nonsense. If you have an issue with someone, talk to them. All you’re doing by posting passive aggressively is taking a dig at someone where they can’t defend it. Social media is not the place for that. Stop.
4. ‘Fishing’ Posts. Listen, I get it. I love hearing compliments. I do. But I dislike seeing someone have to resort to posting things that are quite obviously posted for the sole purpose of receiving compliments, hence losing the sincerity of the compliments altogether. If you post something like, “Ugh, I am SO ugly” you are obviously going to get tons of replies in the contradictory. You may need to hear that and that is totally legitimate! But please don’t debase yourself in order to do it! You’re worth more than basically mandatory compliments made only to contradict your own false claims. Side note: If you need a pick me up today, why not go to your God and creator who speaks more passionately and sincerely about you than any Facebook friend ever could?
5. One word: Drama. Please, please, please stop airing your very personal business on Facebook. That is so not the place. There is great wisdom in keeping your personal matters close to you and a trusted select group only. When too many people know things only in part, it creates confusion, miscommunication, and judgment and only magnifies the bad situation. Social media is just not the place for super dramatic posts or for bringing personal details into the larger arena of your acquaintance. Be wise in what you share with people who may not need to know your intimate details and transactions.

So there we go. I am going to try really, really hard to do better on all 5 of these things. It may not be easy but together we can do it!