“This is Bill.
Bill likes playing
games on Facebook, but knows that his friends don’t play. Bill does not send
them annoying requests.
Bill doesn’t post
vague posts just to seek attention.
Bill goes to Starbucks
but doesn’t take hundreds of selfies there, doesn’t post them on Facebook and
doesn’t post ‘likes’ on them by himself.
Bill is smart. Be like
Bill!”
Be like Bill is a social media meme that has been
described as "a way for people to passive-aggressively call out social
media behaviors that annoy them”. This and many such memes have mushroomed
across social media platforms to target using wit and humor, social media
behaviors which are touted inappropriate or in poor taste by many of us, who
metaphorically ‘eat, sleep and breathe’ on social media.
The primary reason for the ascend of such treatment is -
that social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus are now
being widely used by businesses and professionals as strong Branding tools. In
the current scenario, how you behave on Facebook is directly proportional to
how you are perceived by others across your personal and professional networks.
As social media grows and sharing becomes easier, social
boundaries seem to have taken a nosedive. However, one needs to be diligent
enough to ascertain what to be shared. Here are a few common faux pas made by
the netizens across various social media platforms:
·
Profile
picture: Your profile picture is your first impression to the world – the
world that would judge you completely based on your behavior, not just physical
but also on social media. Avoid posting those pouty, self-obsessed selfies. The
world does not need to know that you drink beer. For professionals who are active
on social media, using a common, sober and professionally clicked photograph is
a must.
·
Posting
and sharing: Avoid shouting out your entire day’s routine to the world.
Whether you sneezed, feeling bored or loved, on a date or at the movies,
there’s a high population of your friends on Facebook who really aren’t
interested. Sharing over a thousand pictures of you and your darling while on
honeymoon isn’t quite appropriate.
·
Likes and
Comments: Being active on social media does not mean you like, share or comment
every post you come across. There’s no competition, no race! Unless a post is
really necessary or interesting, avoid clicking the thumb. And more
importantly, do not like your own posts – it’s like the height of
self-obsession one can achieve.
Remember, Social media is a very powerful tool. It can be
put to use for better causes which are relevant to the society. It’s there to
help you create positive memories, not ones for which people would like to shun
you away! Act responsibly!
-Sumit Chakravarty
Faculty, INLEAD
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