4 Signs You Practice ‘Social Media Douchebaggery’

13th July, 2010 - Posted by Jason Cercone - No Comments

*From the famed “Social Media Mastermind” series, found on The Official LinXone Solutions Web Presence Blog.

Are You A ‘Social Media Douchebag?’

In preparation for today’s Mastermind session, I decided to hop online and reference a couple search engines to see if there was an official definition for ‘Social Media Douchebaggery’ to support the theory I created in my own head. Alas, my search came up empty…to some degree. However, I did discover my opinions are shared by many others.

Let’s face it…nobody likes a douchebag in real life. And since social media is an extension of who you really are, coming across a D-bag in the social mediasphere is equally annoying, although easier to tune out (unless you have connections to someone in the Soprano crew who can handle your real-life D-bag problem in two easy installments).

Practicing Social Media Douchebaggery means you focus only on the negatives and broadcast it to the world. It means you lifestream like a maniac about ONLY the mundane details in your life, such as how you hate Monday or how you just drank a root beer for breakfast, while never blending it with some value, originality, humor, or personality.

Anyone who uses Social Media has developed an ego that’s led them to believe everyone else around them truly cares what they’re doing, what’s on their mind, and where they’re located. I know I’m guilty. And in most cases, in the transparent world we live in, people really do care. Or, at least pretend to care in an effort to inflate our egos.

But at some point, a line needs to be drawn.

In no way am I trying to police your use of social media because I’m a firm believer in the First Amendment (after all, someone has to, right?). But for the sake of the sanity of your friends and followers, take a look at these four signs of blatant Social Media Douchbaggery, then ask yourself: “Am I really a Social Media Douchebag?”

1) Is THIS Your Profile Picture? – Yes, the majority of us have a party streak in us. And yes, some of those random momemts we’d like to forget (or have trouble piecing together) are caught on film. Then, our friends tag us. It’s all well and good to have a good time and enjoy yourself, but remember…Social Media is a big deal now. Many people are relying on it to decide whether they want to do business with you, interact with you, hire you, learn from you, etc. If they hop on your profile and see a picture like this, their first impression is that you lack the ability to take yourself seriously, think you’re still in college, or simply don’t give a damn. Or…you’re a Social Media Douchebag, and they’re moving on to someone who isn’t.

2) Gloom Is Your Business, and Business is Good – We all know that one guy or girl whose life is one big tangled sheep-shank knot of negativity. Now, hand them a free social media account and give them the ability to amplify this negativity on a grand scale to anyone who chooses to listen and, God forbid, sympathize, and what you’ve got is George Costanza’s parents on steroids. Despite what’s happening in your life, constantly talking about the negatives will drag everybody down. Amidst all the negative clutter, there has to be something good to talk about! If not, pack away the negativity pistol and focus your energy on leaving some positive comments for your friends’ posts. Focusing on some positives will tone down your douchebaggery.

3) Asking Your ENTIRE Friend List For Help on FarmVille and FarmVille-esque Games – Although playing these games does not make you a D-bag (see First Amendment), sending out message after message through your news feed that you just found a lonely brown cow with a calcium deficiency or you’re holding a virtual barn-raising this Monday since House M.D. is in re-runs, does. You have to realize…not EVERYONE plays FarmVille, Mafia Wars, Treasure Isle, etc…so those messages are the epitome of pointless. Many folks will block out your updates altogether if you abuse your gaming privileges, meaning that when you DO provide something of value, they won’t see it. Not what you want to happen.

4) You’re an EFFING ‘bot’ – In case you haven’t noticed, people like conversing with other people. For most of us, it’s a habit we picked up at a very early age and it stuck. Want to guarantee you won’t get the most out of Social Media? Turn 100% of your usage over to a bot (a service or application that auto-handles your Social Media use) Schedule every single one of your tweets. Don’t listen to what people are really saying. Don’t contribute to the conversations. Don’t learn anything. Just post links all day. See what you get in return. Chances are, it’s going to be a steaming pile of hot garbage. And once you’re labeled as a bot, it’s hard to bounce back. A bot can help you when time is not on your side, but never turn all your use over to one.