Annoying Social Media Habits: Moderation is Key

How many of you have that person on your Instagram feed who posts a selfie at least three times a week? What about your Facebook friend that seems to do nothing but complain? Her posts show up on your news feed and you can't help but laugh at the fact that she feels the need to post on Facebook about how terrible her day was because she was stuck in traffic and Starbucks was out of blueberry muffins...of course followed by Debbie Downer's favorite acronym, "FML." And of course, we all know a few hashtag fanatics. A simple Instagram photo of a palm tree and somehow that person was able to come up with 20 different hashtags for it. #aintnobodygottimeforthat.

Anyway, what I'm getting at here is that when it comes to posting on social media, too much of anything is just not good. I'm certainly not claiming innocence here. I'm guilty of posting a selfie every now and again when I'm feeling sassy. I'm just saying that maybe, if people kept the posting of these things to every once in a while, then maybe people wouldn't be so annoyed by them.

Selfies
This one is easy. I make an effort every day to look decent, but that doesn't necessarily mean I feel the need to document those looks everyday. To the ladies who post selfies on the regular: first of all, how do you always look so pulled together? Second of all, I totally get it. Sometimes you're just in the mood to snap a selfie and share it with the world. All I'm saying is, people won't hold it against you quite as much if you try to keep this to a minimum. Me, I typically only post a selfie if I feel like I actually resemble someone with a sense of style, if I'm doing something I find particularly exciting like drinking wine at work or eating , or if I'm showing off new sunglasses or something.

Exhibit A: This was one of those rare days where I really felt like I had my shit together. I was wearing the most adorable new top from LOFT and drinking out of my favorite coffee mug (which has the word "smile" written on the inside bottom of it. It appears as though I even have lip gloss on which is pretty uncommon. Clearly, I was on top of the world and needed to document.

Exhibit B: Drinking wine at work. No further explanation needed.

Exhibit C: Earlier this year right before I ran The Color Run. If you know me, you know I couldn't wait for this day to arrive. To say I was excited would be a huge understatement.

Cheesy Facebook Posts

People who post sweet updates about their family, significant other, how wonderful their life is, etc., typically get a bad rep on social media. I don't really think that's fair seeing how many people use social media to complain and argue about politics. With all that negativity, I personally like to see a little positivity. There is, however, a fine line with this one. A lot of times, it seems like if someone is constantly posting about how much they love life and how happy they are, I can't help but wonder if maybe they are compensating a little bit. Too much of anything isn't great and too much positivity can actually end up coming across a little braggy or disingenuous. Like I said earlier, I am absolutely guilty of a sappy post every now and then. I've been through a pretty serious illness in my life that totally changed my outlook on life and I've recently met the absolute love of my life and I'm getting married to him super soon. So yes, you could say that I've got some positive, cheesy, sappy things to say sometimes. But again, I try to keep it to a minimum. 

Exhibit A: 

Exhibit B:

Gym Check Ins/Selfies/Motivational Fitness Quotes/etc.
Alrighty now I can pretty much guarantee you'll never see me post a photo of myself while working out. It's not pretty. I get this "red in the face, is that girl about to die?" look going on and why would I ever want to share that via social media? I feel bad enough that Jonathan has to witness this when we work out together. I'm not about to put it on blast. Just recently I stopped following someone on Instagram because no lie, they posted at least one working out selfie AND motivational fitness quote per day. This is just out of control if you ask me. I hardly feel like I have enough time to work out as is, nevermind finding time while I'm there to snap a selfie of me doing squats and browse the web for a motivational fitness post.

To anyone who posts these, I need information. When do you look for the motivational quote/photo? Is it while you're at the gym or before you leave the house? Do you just have an album on your phone full of these so you can just grab and post one each day? I'm so curious. And how do you not burst out laughing at yourself in a crowded gym taking a mirror shot of you flexing your arm muscles? I can't even flex my muscles without laughing at myself in private. Tell me your ways. Anyway, I think you guys get my point. I can totally see how posting a progress photo on Instagram every now and then might be appealing. It will help motivate you and others, which is all good. I can even get down with sharing a motivational fitness quote on Facebook every once in a while, especially if you've gotten off track a little and want to get back into a diet and fitness routine. But with these, a little bit goes a long way.

"I wish more of my friends kept me updated on their gym visits." - said no one ever

— Amanda Tucker (@AmandaLTucker) August 21, 2013

And with gym check ins, in particular, I don't have a huge issue with this, although I don't know if it's really necessary to tell us every time you are at the gym. Even I will check in if I'm trying out a new gym or trying a different group fitness class at my yoga studio. When it comes to fitness apps like Map My Ride or Nike +, I say if you want to share those updates to social media, go for it. I think sometimes it's more the commentary you add to these posts that can get annoying to people. For example, if every time you share your Nike + stats after a run, you say "What did you today?" I can see how that would get annoying to your followers. Nobody wants you making them feel bad because all they did so far today was get out of bed to move straight to the couch and eat a carton of ice cream while watching "Say Yes to the Dress."

Hashtags
Maybe I'm just not very creative, or maybe I just already take forever to edit and choose a filter for my photo, but by the time I post it on Instagram, I'm lucky if I remember to include a hashtag. When I do think of it though, I do like to include a few hashtags that I think are (1) relevant or (2) funny (to me, at least). Hashtags are great. They help people find your photo, they come in handy for weddings so you can see all the photos your guests took by looking up the hashtag, they can be funny and add a little something extra to your caption. But 20 hashtags for a photo of your Starbucks coffee cup? That's just crazy talk.

What do you guys think? What social habits are you guilty of? Which ones do you think are okay every now and then?