I hear it over and over from all types of people, “I like to post useful things, you know, more than just ‘what I ate for breakfast'” or “…(s)he only posts stupid stuff like what (s)he ate for breakfast.” It always rubs me the wrong way and it’s not just because I post about what I eat occassionally in my social media spaces. I’ve been thinking a lot about this, more since I’ve been on Twitter (see this one and this one for example), and here’s why I think it bothers me:
- It’s judgmental: far be it for me to call anyone else out on being judgmental—because that is a huge issue I’m working on—but who are we to criticize what others post in social spaces? If you don’t like it, don’t follow it or unfriend them or whatever, but to publicly make an issue out of it seems inappropriate.
- I learn a lot from what people eat: chances are I’m following you on Twitter or friended you on Facebook because I want to know about you. Not just the smart/funny/cute things you say, but what you do, what you think, what you like, etc. I think we can all agree that eating is important and often takes a big role in our lives, one way or another. Also, I’ve noticed that many people are saying more than just what they ate. What they ate can say whether they’re health-concious, vegetarian, love junk food, love meat, etc. and all these things indicate a lot of other things. For instance where they’re from, their social or political ideas, how they handle stress, whether or not they have kids or a partner, how old they are, whether or not they travel, how adventerous they are, and on and on. Other information about where and when something is eaten can indicate how busy someone’s life is or their daily habits or places they like to go and who they like to be there with. Eating is part of our identity and I personally like learning about the whole person. If you’re boring me, I’ll unfollow or unfriend you. It’s that simple.
- We all have a choice: and I guess that’s what it all boils down to: we all choose what we like and don’t like and we can all be different—no need to be judgmental and condescending because you want everyone to know that you’re all business on social media.
So yeah, maybe me writing this post is being judgmental about people who are judgmental but I wanted to get this thinking out and maybe I’ll change my mind—who knows? Or maybe you’ll tell me what you think about “food posts” or what some would consider “mundane” things on social media?