THIS AND THAT ABOUT THE SOCIAL MEDIA

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The internet is full of Social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, google plus and Myspace among hundreds of others. These sites are increasingly becoming an integral part of our lives. Lets face it, these days,  the easiest and the most convenient way to connect with family and friends is through the social media.Granted, the social media have allowed people from all walks of life to spontaneously interact in real time regardless who or where they are.

But the manner in which some people are using the social media nowadays makes me fret with anger. First of all, the need by social media users to create first impressions through their profile pictures has pushed some of them to do unimaginable things. Ideally all you need for a profile picture is a close up shot of yourself or if you don't like how you look, upload a picture of something that you like, be it your favourite pet, a branch of a tree or even the sky.

Why would someone choose a photo that almost reveals their 'all and sundry' to be a profile picture, for example? Do these people stop to think what perception of themselves they will have created about who they are to their friends? Then there are those who change their profile pictures every time they make a new purchase for their word-robe! There is no point of making a fool of yourself. It makes a lot of sense to keep some things away from the glare of the public for your own good. 

Thirdly, irresponsible updates on social media has become a major turn-off to friends and, more  recently,    potential employers. Yes, potential employers are increasingly using social media profiles to determine the employability of a job seeker. Negative updates about your former employer, for example, can easily be searched for in the internet, years after you have forgotten about it. So think before you publish that facebook update or tweet.

There are those who announce their comeback on social media after weeks or months of silence; as if their absence made a difference. Get this, unless you are a news maker, your silence on social media can not make headlines even on the gutter press. Don't even make me write about those who threaten to shut down their social media accounts. The less said about these people the better. What these guys need is attention and that is the last thing I am going to give them.

Lastly, there are those people who post updates every time they change their moods. "I feel lonely", goes a facebook update. "I need a kiss", screams a tweep. We appreciate the fact that human beings experience a certain amounts of mood swings but not every Tom Dick and Harry needs to hear that. So think about your social media hygiene and do some clean up next time you log in.