No Social Media Allowed – My Top Six Pet Peeves

Those of you who follow my blog and/or my monthly articles on LinkingRaleighNC  know that I am a big, big fan of social media.  All types – I text, instant message, FaceBook, Tweet, LinkIn, blog, comment on blogs AND yes I do a fair amount of it in the horizontal position.  I am one of those that ‘checks in’ if I wake up in the middle of the night – often times finding like-minded insomniacs to IM with on Yahoo or chat with on FaceBook.  My Android gets picked up before even my glasses (a testament to being in my 40s) upon waking to see what happened during the night.

 So, one would think that this week’s AdAge article stating that 10% of the under 25 category will respond to a text during sex wouldn’t phase me.

 Well, I guess I found my line….or at least one of them.  And, it’s not dotted….it’s thick, bold and drawn out in Sharpie-black ink.

 This got me thinking.  When/where else do I believe social media is not welcome? 

 What follows are my pet peeves – an arbitrary list of additional situations or scenarios where I believe a big NO SOCIAL MEDIA sign needs to be posted.

1. Providing customer service.  This is a big one for me.  Not too long ago I was trying to share my displeasure about a service at my gym – O2 Fitness and the ‘service provider’ continued texting.  I felt unheard, not cared for and angry. 
2. Operating heavy machinery.  This warning is not just for over the counter medications.  It never fails, it’s the middle of the day and I am driving behind someone who appears drunk – weaving ever so slightly, running over the little white bumps that separate the lanes.  I speed up around to pass them and glance over to discover that they are definitely intoxicated – mesmerized by the little keyboard on their smart phone.
3. At the dinner table.  So, is this one way too obvious?  If out at a restaurant with someone, you wouldn’t consider staring and gawking at everyone that walks by, right?  Well, then what makes it seem ok to engage in a conversation via text or to push out Twitter updates in-between mouthfuls?
4. Post two martinis.  Since social media platforms and cell phones don’t come with breathalyzers (a feature that I think should be added to cameras as well) it is probably in our own best interest to stay away from them if inebriated.  In my opinion, no good can come from those posts and once out there they are very hard to take back.
5. Angry.  It’s bad enough if we say something in anger to someone but when we take the time to have it permanently captured digitally and then give it viral wings, one has to question IQ.  Once you hit ‘send’ or ‘share’ you are committed – for better or worse.  Bite your lip, throw a plate, punch a wall….all ways to express yourself and preserve your reputation – albeit there may be some blood or broken bones involved.

I am sure there are many other situations where participating in social media is not in our best interest or rude to others.  I would love your thoughts and comments.  I invite you to help me build on the list.  If it is robust enough, I’ll re-post the summary.  Just so that I’m clear, I write MarketingSmack alone, sober and not while driving.

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