I’m no expert, and there is no ‘correct’ way to use social media, but these days many users simply post the very first thing that comes into their mind; "When will it stop raining?," "Happy Friday!" or; "I'm tired." There is no doubt, it can be nice to hear what our friends and contacts are up to without actually speaking to them personally, but these kind of generic, pedestrian posts are not adding any value, and they're definitely not worth sharing with hundreds or thousands of people on social media.
Twitter and Facebook have given everyone the opportunity to have an audience. That is a beautiful thing. But too many are abusing the privilege. Every time I log into these sites I’m disappointed by a whole range of pointless posts, and I’m not alone. A recent study by The Harvard Business Review showed 64% of tweets are ‘boring’, and 25% are ‘not worth reading’. A separate study by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology had similar findings.
I believe the problem is getting worse. The London Olympics has helped demonstrate this. I’m sorry to say it, but just because you’re enjoying watching the Games, it doesn’t mean all your followers and friends should be subjected to your running Olympics commentary. It’s great that Steve Solomon did well in the 400 meters, but with all respect, we don’t need to see you write it. The strange thing is many compulsive social media users are actually very shy people in the real world. When you see them face to face you’re lucky if they say hello, but online you can barely escape them.
Yes, we want to see photos from your weekend, and yes, we want to hear your jokes and views on various news and issues. But, no, we don't want to hear that you had toast for breakfast and, no we don't care about the mindless hourly updates of how your day is going. Just because you are thinking or doing something, it doesn’t mean you need to share it with everyone else. For celebrities it’s a slightly different story. They can get away with it to some extent, but the rest of us need to start exercising some restraint. Please!
Sure, everyone has the power to unfollow or unfriend someone guilty of unnecessary posts, but if they're a colleague or good friend it can be a drastic and awkward step to take. Already our newsfeeds are clogged with random ads and spam, and now increasingly they are also being filled with a sea of worthless tweets and posts. As a result social media doesn’t seem as exciting as it used to be. And sadly, its credibility is being dismantled, tweet by tweet.
