The Unspoken Rules of Social Media: LJ1

 As social media continues to grow, we are able to see the distinct changes in the content we posted 6 years ago, to content posted today. Anyone interested in getting their content to large audiences or already posting to large audiences, most likely has a set routine or even rules they follow to keep their posting consistent. While everyone has their own methods to their madness, I can confidently say that there are rules of social media that the majority follow. In this blog post, I will give you dos and don'ts of the internet. (Please keep in mind that I'm writing about social media "rules," this post is to be taken very lightly. I whole-heartedly do not care if you "break" any of these rules.)

I think it would be most efficient to write about a specific app, so I will be speaking about my most commonly used social media app. Which would be: Instagram. I look at instagram as a highlight reel of your life. It is an app that allows you to be the biggest show-off you want to be, with no remorse (Free rule: don't over do it). Rule #1: Do not let your following count surpass the number of your followers. Keep your following to follower count ratio moderate. Following more people than you have followers might give people the impression that you're a "fan." Personally, it also gives me stalker vibes (I have nothing to back that statement up, it's just something I personally think). Rule #2: Do post at the right times. The best times to post are: noon and late evening. I say noon because thats when most are taking their lunch breaks and just scrolling to pass the time. Late evening because people are coming back from work or school, unwinding from their day and scrolling to catch up. Rule #3: Don't tag your current location! This is so important. I believe there is always someone watching. No matter how unimportant you may think you are (you're not), you have to be careful to not make a potential stalker's job easier for them. If you just had the best dish at an expensive restaurant and feel the need to flex to your followers, wait until you've left the premises to let people know that you've been eating good. 

It should be noted that I did say Instagram is a highlight reel. It is never a good a idea to compare your life to others. No one is posting their failures. I sure am not. If you ever feel yourself being insecure because you're not living like people you see on social media, it may be a good idea to take a break from the apps. You'll feel more relieved because you're not able to constantly compare yourself to others. 

As I've used social media over the years, I can notice big differences with my behavior then versus now. The most notable difference would be the frequency in my posting. Back then, I would post my every move; my lunch, dinner, make posts like "omg I have no idea what I'm doing with my life (still very true); I might've even let people know about new purchases. Now-a-days, I keep my posting minimal. Mostly because I don't know half of the people that follow me personally. I don't care about being judged, but giving the run-down of my day to day to randoms on the internet doesn't make much sense to me. If I could go back to my first time using social media knowing that content could potentially be monetized the way it is now, I would probably try to take it more seriously and post quality content. 

My online image is important to me and to anyone that posts to a public profile, it should be too. Some might not admit it, but there is a lot of stalking that gets done by people you know, people you may never meet, and people watching you so hard that they've already planned how meeting you will go (this has happened to me before). The way you present yourself on a public profile may shut you out of opportunities you didn't even know you were being considered for. On a more positive note, it may present opportunities to you that you did not even know you were qualified for. I'm interested in modeling, so I make sure to post my best pictures. I also like clubbing and partying, but I don't post myself drinking too much because I don't want to make it seem like it's all I do. It's all about balance!