{"id":13861,"date":"2023-02-06T08:03:26","date_gmt":"2023-02-06T13:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/?p=13861"},"modified":"2023-02-06T08:03:27","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T13:03:27","slug":"review-your-social-media-etiquette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/2023\/02\/06\/review-your-social-media-etiquette\/","title":{"rendered":"Review Your Social Media Etiquette"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite your best efforts, you may cause someone pain with that Tweet or Facebook post. Here\u2019s a refresher on social media best practices, along with advice for some pandemic-only dilemmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In an ideal world, your followers would think every photo, video or thought you post on social media is like a little gift to them. In reality, it\u2019s hard to predict how posts on Instagram, Facebook and other social media will land, especially during the pandemic. After so much loss and isolation over the past year, people are on edge. That vaccine selfie may feel joyous and hopeful to you, but it could be a digital slap in the face to someone who hasn\u2019t received a vaccine shot or who has suffered a grave loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomeone could be experiencing loss in such a way that there\u2019s no way someone else won\u2019t post something that compounds their grief,\u201d said Catherine Newman, who has written the Modern Manners etiquette column for Real Simple <\/a>magazine for 10 years. \u201cThat\u2019s how grief is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it\u2019s hard not to overthink things \u2014 and to worry that despite your best efforts, you may cause someone pain. Some social media experts say you should review your sharing practices periodically, so here\u2019s a refresher on social media etiquette, along with advice for some pandemic-only situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask why are you posting.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, identify your motivations. Are you sharing that picture of the exquisite cake you baked because you want praise, or do you want people to feel bad that what they made themselves wasn\u2019t as good? If it is to receive affirmation, that\u2019s OK. But if you find yourself trying to get all your needs met by social media likes, it might be time to think about what else is missing in your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, focus on your friends. If you tried to consider every possible person who might be hurt by a post \u2014 your seemingly unobjectionable photo of tulips could very well remind a follower of someone they have lost \u2014 you might never post anything on social media. But absolutely think about your inner circle carefully.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Newman, for one, hasn\u2019t posted about her own post-vaccination visits with family because so many in her immediate friend group have lost a parent in the past year. If you\u2019re in a similar situation and you still want to post your vaccine selfie or the first time you\u2019ve hugged your father in a year, consider acknowledging your own good fortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you hit \u201cshare,\u201d read your words in multiple tones of voice, as different people can interpret the text differently, suggested Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and the founder of the Protocol School of Texas<\/a>, a San Antonio company specializing in corporate etiquette training. If there\u2019s any doubt, add a cue, such as an emoticon, about your tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t go low, go high.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you want to post something negative, keep in mind that what you say or share often says more about you. Disagree (respectfully), but avoid sweeping generalizations about entire groups of people \u2014 or about one business based on your interaction with a single employee.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, remember that any message you share, even with close family members, will be amplified to your entire online community. (The tension may also be amplified around vaccines, health measures and the stress of a not-normal year.) If you are replying to your sister online about something, that doesn\u2019t mean you can speak to her as harshly as you might privately. Ms. Gottsman advises taking a heated family debate offline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are soliciting donations for a particular cause or charity, or asking for money to pay someone\u2019s rent or medical bills with a GoFundMe campaign, recognize that the financial situations of many people have changed this past year and there may be many other appeals compared to times past. Skip shaming phrases, like \u201cHow can you not help this person?\u201d Instead, Ms. Gottsman said, use ones like \u201cIf your heart moves you, I\u2019m sharing this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider your audience.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Think less vigilance is needed, because your text group is small or your settings have been changed to private? Think again. When Heidi Cruz, the wife of Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, shared her family\u2019s plans to flee a devastating winter storm in Texas for a vacation in Mexico, she texted only a small group of neighbors and friends. Screenshots of the messages ended up with journalists<\/a>. Elaine Swann, an etiquette expert and founder of the School of Protocol in Carlsbad, Calif., points out that it wasn\u2019t just one person who shared the chat with The New York Times; there were others who confirmed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven if you think it\u2019s just your inner circle, there\u2019s always somebody there who isn\u2019t 100 percent on your team,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s the person who takes the screenshot before you delete whatever it is.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ban body-size talk.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Posting about food and fitness may be even more tempting than usual, given that a lot of people have changed what they eat and how much they exercise during the pandemic. But confine your commentary to how these lifestyle changes make you feel, not how they make you look. Among other things, not all people have had the luxury of more time to exercise during the pandemic \u2014 or if they did, they might not have had the energy to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Lindsay Kite is a founder of Beauty Redefined<\/a>, a nonprofit that promotes body image resilience, and an author of \u201cMore Than a Body.\u201d She noted that your \u201cbefore\u201d photo \u2014 talking about how fat you look \u2014 may be someone else\u2019s \u201cafter.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you really want affirmation and accountability for your fitness goals, avoid the sports-bra selfie and posts about body measurements. Instead, Dr. Kite suggested posting a picture of yourself in a blood pressure cuff, or a less body-focused snapshot of you jogging to your favorite coffee shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLoving your body and improving your health doesn\u2019t always lead to a more ideal-looking body,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n