Four Reasons Why Proper Social Media Etiquette is Gone Out The Window
I come from a long line of Girl Scouts. My mom, aunts, and grandmother were all in the program, and so was I. I was taught some genuinely important lessons during my time as a Girl Scout, like to “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver, and the other is gold.”
The Girl Scout Law and how to pee outdoors- all seriously good lessons. But I can’t help but remember the time when I was made to take an etiquette class with my third-grade Brownies troop. When you are in third grade, you’re messy, and you think poop jokes are funny. So to have to take an etiquette class seemed just as silly as nine-year-old me was at the time. I didn’t take the class very seriously, and neither did the rest of my Brownie troop, which may in some way account for the lack of etiquette we display on social media today. I believe that proper etiquette such as debating respectfully, listening to others without interrupting, and presenting arguments with a kind tone should never go out of style. I think every human being should treat each other with respect, but sadly that is never going to happen online. Here are four reasons why:
- We live in the age of the Clap Back.
TREAT OTHERS HOW YOU WANT TO BE TREATED was painted inside my sixth-grade classroom in bright gold letters. Funny that sixth grade was also my first year on social media. It marked the beginning of me getting into all sorts of trouble too early and, of course, cyber arguments. Because if Becky tweeted something snarky you better believe she was gonna catch these Twitter fingers.
2. If the Kardashians can — why can’t I?
We see rich and famous people do whatever they want online every single day, and what do they get? More views, more praise, more money. Many celebs set out to shock us via social media so they can see their names trending. But no matter how much this hurts to say — we aren’t Kardashians, and we can’t post our nudes and get as rich as Kim has.
3. Screens can make us feel invisible.
Social media users don’t see the real-time reaction of whoever they’re arguing with. People get angry online pretty frequently (see @realdonaldtrump) but what gets them into trouble is how quickly that anger can be typed and posted. Hiding behind a screen is the perfect mask for any bully, but social media is forever, and that invisibility cloak doesn’t last for long.
4. Clout makes people lose control.
Honestly, when was the last time you scrolled through any of your social media platforms and only saw nice things being shared. Probably never. The crazier the post, the more attention it will get. And the more attention received, the higher the dopamine levels rise for the poster.
So maybe my Brownie troop should have paid more attention during that etiquette class so we could have avoided this whole mess. But, wait, then what would account for the billions of other users misbehaving online at this very moment? Maybe everyone should just take an online etiquette class. Where do we sign up?
