We want our privacy, but then post all that we do on social media for everyone to see.

We are living this contradiction these days. At least, many of us are.

This is because while, on the one hand, we get angry when our mobile phone number is given to a third party without our knowledge, or receive an email from an unwanted source, we then tell everyone where we’ve been, what we have eaten and what we’re thinking.

It was not long ago that something known as the GDPR was discussed at length and later implemented in the European Union. The General Data Protection Regulation imposed several changes to how personal information is treated, giving more control to people.

Companies and businesses have had to adjust to new ways on how personal data is stored. Just to give one example, it is no longer possible for news portals to know the email address of people who are contributing their comments beneath stories that are uploaded. We now get a series of asterisks which make it impossible to identify the origin of such comments. We cannot even answer back to explain why some comments are not accepted unless, of course, a regular email is sent with the whole address.

But this is not about GDPR.

It is about how the more time passes, the more social media has become a platform for narcissism, hatred and confrontation. And it’s about those people – increasing in number – whose mobile has become an extension of their hands and for whom it would be a tragedy if they are no longer “connected”.

Social media

The idea behind the advent of the social media was to bring people closer to each other. For years, we heard the term globalised world or the world as a global village. And social media helped restore long-lost friendships, created new ones, and generally speaking kept people in touch. People who had not seen their school friends for decades rekindled their comradeship. Families who lived in different countries and continents were able to remain in contact regularly.

This is the better part of social media.

It should have been the only part, in an ideal world. But we do not live in an ideal world and, as time goes by, the social media progressively lost its innocence and well-meaning intentions, turning into a public place for the dissemination of irrelevant (and many times fake) information and bad blood. And it spurred egocentrism too.

Instead of bringing people together, it opened up new avenues for conflict. There was a time when two people in disagreement settled their issues privately, quietly and without anyone else knowing they had a dispute.

Now it is out there for all to see. Others give in to the temptation to join in, often making matters worse.

But who are the social media people?

The regulars

There are people who seem to have nothing else to do than being present on social media.

Not one hour passes without them posting a thought or a picture (many times both). Often, the picture shows them at the centre. They tell us where they went or where they are, what they ate or what they are cooking. It’s as if they think everyone has an interest in how they are spending their time. If they do not post anything in two or three hours, they have to justify why they didn’t.

They probably have withdrawal symptoms if they do not post something 20 times a day.

Do these people ever sleep, one wonders? Because they seem to be ever present, late at night and early in the morning, and many times even when they should be at work or at school. Come to think of it, do they have a job? And are mobile phones now allowed to be used during lessons?

The philosophers

Then you find those who inundate their wall with quotes referring to all things mundane and spiritual. Some of them do so every morning, or before they sleep, or any time they come across something which is so inspirational that they would like to share it.

It would be good to know if they follow the words of wisdom they are giving others. Or whether it’s just an attempt at appearing intelligent. Do they really understand what they are posting?

These days Facebook reminds users of “memories” they shared on the same day in previous years. “Only you can see this”, the user is told, but you may want to share it (again). And, lo and behold, the quote is shared (again).

Just in case you missed it the year before.

The promoters

Many use the social media to promote activities. Some use it to push themselves too. The more egocentric have something to advertise each day.

The experts

Social media is not just about people who post. It’s also about people who comment beneath such posts.

And here you find the experts. They’re always at the ready to pass their two cents underneath posts which stir their brain cells. They have an opinion about everything, and believe that theirs is the best. It could be about gardening, sport, politics, the environment, energy… you name it, and you’ll find them saying something about it.

More often than not, it’s not worth those two cents.

The show-offs

There are some who use the social media to inflate themselves. They regularly embark on ego-boosting exercises to speak of their accomplishments, whether it’s a dish that they cooked, a dream holiday that came true, a jog in the countryside and more. For them, anything they do is extraordinary and worth a post on Facebook, even when it’s run-of-the-mill.

Few realise – or do not care – that by telling all and sundry that they’re away from home, they are increasing their chances that their house could be burgled. It doesn’t have to be a holiday; all it takes is minutes for homes to be broken into.

The teasers

Then there are people who like to tease. When this takes the form of attacking a former partner – a photo of a kiss with the new companion, or something they did with their kids – it smacks of an attempt to make the other party jealous.

There are people in their 40s and 50s who act like teenagers, perhaps worse. But nobody is forever young, and in these circumstances what is evident is lack of maturity.

The confrontationists

Some seem to enjoy themselves picking arguments. It could be on little things, but often the matter escalates. Many times it is about politics. There are times when things degenerate quickly, and people appear to be always at the ready to provoke a dispute. Sometimes it happens on the same side of the political fence.

The haters

It has become a new social disease. The amount of hate that is spewed on the social media when there is a disagreement is incredible. And the more time passes, and the more there are efforts to contain this poison, the more it appears to grow. It’s like lava coming down a mountain, causing irreparable damage. Just as much as social media has forged new friendships, others have irremediably broken down just because of a comment that was made out of turn and hit a person hard.

It is no wonder that some people have been taken to court. Racism, verbal offences and other forms of hate-speech abound. If the police had more time, probably more would be sitting before a magistrate to explain their bad behaviour.

The stalkers

There are then people who are not present with their posts on social media, but one feels their presence. It’s like being watched. Big Brother. Many do it to satisfy their curiosity (and the behaviour of others offers a lot of fodder in this respect). Others just use the social media to know what’s happening – social media has become a platform where news is shared frequently, and many get to know of this and that while scrolling their mobile phone.

The politicians

And then there are, of course, the politicians.

Probably, they can be placed in many of the categories mentioned above, or nearly all of them.

Politicians are regulars, philosophers, experts, show-offs, stalkers, confrontationists and sometimes haters too. They believe that the world does not rotate around that huge yellow mass in the sky, but around them.

If this wasn’t already enough, there are then some politicians who, as soon as they post something online, send it to the mainstream media via email and WhatsApp. Just in case we miss it. It’s because they think that everything they say online is worth some space on news portals. Go figure.

More

Is the list of categories comprehensive? Probably not, so you may want to add your own.

One word of advice: Think, and think again, before posting. It might hurt, and it might come back to haunt you.