More than two billion people actively use social media these days, which is roughly a third of the world’s population. That means that chances are, you’re one of them.
Some use social media for work, others for play. Regardless of which platforms you use and for what reasons, there’s a bit of etiquette you should follow.
Sure, you already know not to your bikini pics from Aruba on your LinkedIn account. But there are other rules to social media that you should abide by.
When you’re in a relationship, these rules get intensified.
We all know Sappy Sue who posts every day how great her man is, with captions filled with lovey-dovey hashtags and heart eye emojis. You see the posts, roll your eyes, and keep scrolling.
But you also know Negative Nancy who posts so many complaints that you wonder why she’s with the guy in the first place.
Well, we’re here to stop you from being a Sue and a Nancy. Instead, you can think of yourself as Appropriate Allison. At least, when it comes to your relationship and social media behavior.
1. Don’t Air Your Dirty Laundry
Everyone needs to vent now and again. It’s part of being human. But when you take to Facebook or Twitter to air your grievances, remember that nothing ever really disappears from the Internet.
You may find out your partner didn’t put the dishes away because they saw a cat trapped in a tree and rushed outside to rescue it. Now, you have to delete your tweet or answer a ton of “What happened?” questions when it was all an overreaction.
When you air your dirty laundry, people only get your side of the story. This can paint your partner in an unjust bad light.
If you need to vent, start a journal. Go jogging. Do anything other than making it everyone else’s business.
2. Watch Out for That Clean Laundry, Too
Just like you don’t want to be a Negative Nancy, Polly Positive can get irritating pretty quickly too.
It’s great you’re happy — all your friends are thrilled you may have found “The One.” But, you need to keep some things private.
Sometimes, your significant other may not want you to post that “adorable” photo of them sleeping. Only post cute and personal photos and videos if they’re okay with it.
If they are, by all means, go for it! Use that heart-filled SnapChat filter or make a cute video on animatedvideo.com and post away.
3. To Stalk or Not to Stalk?
If you’re by nature a Nosey Nellie, resist the urge to stalk your partner online. Nothing good comes from searching through their entire Facebook photo collection. You’re going to find old photos of their ex that will kick your imagination into overdrive.
An “I’m just going to see…” can become a bad habit. Before you know it, you’re interrogating them about every post they make that you’re not tagged in.
Let your partner be an individual. Let them have their likes and inside jokes with co-workers.
Don’t become the control freak who tries to change them or questions their every post. You’ll only end up pushing them away.
4. Don’t Get Involved in Drama
In 2018, it’s hard to not to get involved in drama. Everyone’s on social media spillin’ tea.
Nothing good comes from inserting yourself into a comment section you don’t belong in. Don’t get dragged in the middle of a political battle between your partner’s old roommate and their brother.
Don’t worry about other people’s relationship drama. It’s not your business if a mutual friend hooked up with someone and if their ex knew about it or not. It’s not your business.
Before you know it, your bf’s friends will start hounding him about your nosey antics. He may begin to think you’re too immature for a relationship.
And, whatever you do, don’t involve your partner in the drama either. Far too many times, an offended party rushes to tag their boy/girlfriend in a post that only starts trouble.
If someone hits on you, tell them you’re in a committed relationship and move on. If they persist, ask them to stop. If you have to, report their behavior to the platform.
Try to avoid tagging your partner into the fray. If they’re the jealous type, you’ll only exacerbate it.
5. You’re Not Single; Stop Acting Like You Are
The biggest rule of all is that you’re not single anymore. There’s someone that you chose to be in a relationship with. This means that you have no business acting like your single on Instagram, SnapChat, or the rest of the lot.
Don’t flirt with your ex or the cute guy from Accounting. Don’t post selfies that aren’t appropriate for someone in a committed relationship to post. In other words, the thirsty pics and Snaps should come to an end.
If you’re fishing for attention, don’t look to social media to boost your self-esteem. Your partner is more than happy to tell you how great you look.
Of course, we’ll never tell you to stop taking selfies! What would social media be without them?
But, we will tell you there are much better captions out there than ones seeking attention. Even if your intention is to be friendly with someone, they may not see it that way.
Before you know it, you’re back to No. 4 and Negative Nancy may be ready to rear her ugly head.
Your Relationship and Social Media Are Not Equal
The biggest takeaway should be that your relationship and social media are not equal. They shouldn’t be anywhere near each other on your list of priorities.
While you may keep in touch with old friends or family members, if you value your relationship, you need to know when your social media usage is too much.
After all, you expect the same respect in return.
If you’re in marketing or an entrepreneur, you need hashtags in your life more than the rest of us. So, yes, of course, there are benefits to using social media.
In fact, there may be positives that you haven’t even considered. Check out our post on the positive impact social media can have on your life.
