Five Problems with Social Media - 30 Day Writing Challenge Revisited

Trying again to complete this 30 Day Writing Challenge.

Five problems with Social Media:

1) Oversharing
Everyone has a different definition of oversharing. Some people post just every thought and experience they have on social media; some people don't post personal stuff at all. It's an individual decision. But sometimes the negativity, anger, frustration, sadness, illness, depression, etc can get overwhelming.

2) Vaguebooking
My most hated part of social media. Someone makes a vague comment, friends rush to ask, "What's wrong?" "Are you okay?" "What happened?" And then the person either doesn't respond, says, "Oh I'm fine, it was nothing really," or the response that makes me want to punch a wall, "Call me and I'll tell you." Vaguebooking is all about attention seeking. The end.

3) Ads
Sometimes I like the ads, because I find stuff I like that I want to buy. But sometimes they are annoying.

4) Fake news
No, I am NOT Donald Trump. But there is fake news on social media. Usually it's satire. Sometimes it can be difficult to discern what is real news and what is satire. This can cause fights to break out because people don't realize the news isn't real.

5) Uncomfortable images
I just do not want to see bloody bodies, graphic pictures from surgeries, or people with severe birth defects or injuries. Often these are posted by friends who are in the medical field. I understand that they are interested in these images, but that doesn't mean I am. I am squeamish and find them disturbing. I have alerted Facebook on more than one occasion. I just don't think they have a place on social media. And by people with deformities or injuries, I'm talking about close-up, detailed images. I'm not saying that people with deformities or injuries shouldn't be on social media. I'm saying their pictures shouldn't be posted to shock or sensationalize their situation.

6) One more:
People posting pictures of strangers without their permission.
A lot of people like the "feel good" stories circulating these days of fast food employees taking the time to feed a person with a disability. Someone takes a picture or a video and posts it without the knowledge or agreement of the people involved. Then people read the story, see the pictures, watch the video, and say, "Awww. How nice. How sweet. What a good deed they did."
But the people involved - How do they feel to have an intimate moment shared without their permission. Maybe the person with a disability is embarrassed that they had to ask for help, that they didn't have any other source of assistance. I also feel this way about pictures of homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk, or embarrassing pictures of people in a store with their buttcracks showing. Why do people think it's okay to post pictures of people without their permission? Especially when they are doing it as a way to make fun of the person, or make themselves feel superior.

To make this post less negative, here are my favorite things about social media:
1) Keeping up with friends and family
2) Inspirational / cute memes
3) Funny or sweet videos, especially involving animals and/or kids
4) Finding groups I would like to join, and learning about events I'd like to attend
5) Ads that offer items I'm interested in buying

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