My favorite Demotivator features a sinking ship displaying the message "Mistakes, It could be that the purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others."
I shudder to think how many times that Mistakes poster felt like my life quote, especially in the realm of social media. Though Hillary Clinton may demonstrate otherwise, I'm thankful for that Delete key as it's among the most worn keys on my keyboard. But not everyone shares in my affinity toward that key and it's evident on just about every social media site. Despair.com's Mistakes poster, remains as true today as it did in the late 90's when the company began.
The following types of posts underscore my opinion:
1) Heartbreaking, tragic and graphic images of starving or abused animals or children. What I hate more about those images isn't so much that they remain etched in my psyche long after I've run through my timeline. It's the fact that I will Hide those friends for fear of seeing another shocking image. As a result, I will miss those friends' updates.
2) Embarrassing photos of children by well intending parents of naked baby/toddler bathtub photos. Aside from the fact that there are sick pervs who lurk social media and this activity is quite possibly be illegal; it's not cool to parade someone else's compromised image around for entertainment before they possess the capacity/ability to grant permission.
3) Announcements delivered by those whose tale isn't theirs to tell. The other day a member of a neighborhood group I follow posted a "public service announcement" of a dead dog without a collar lying on the road in order to alert the owner. A different group I follow featured photos from a fatal automobile accident to warn drivers to avoid that route. Being first with the story is usually most appropriate if a news source is reporting. A picture can tell a thousand words but sometimes a description is more merciful.
Generally speaking, being first to announce the news of a happier nature (pregnancies, nuptials, anniversaries) is a right and privilege reserved by the participant or their families.
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| The genius artwork of Pawel Kuczynski found on Instagram |
4) Posts that endeavor to shame people into reposting their message is silly. What if we just want to show support by Liking the post, does that suggest we're less of a friend?
5. Cryptic posts are the worst. For example, check-ins at the emergency room with no explanation except for " It's going to be a long night" which are invariably followed by a flurry of alarmed responses like "Are you okay!?" and "Oh no what happened?" and "Thinking good thoughts!" Please just tell us what's up so we can hopefully be of some assistance.
So many rants, so little time. As alluded to above, the Mistakes poster reminds me that I'm one post away from serving as a warning to others. The good news is that one's indiscretion can be another's lesson. We live and learn, hopefully.
And while I've never posted naked baby bath pictures of my kids, I did post this treasure back in 2009. And I refuse to Delete it ;)
