When I scroll through my newsfeed, whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, or even Instagram, I often see things that make me question the intelligence of the human race…especially when it comes to dating. I can’t be the only one who does this, right? It’s obvious to me that many people don’t think the same way I do. There are just some things that shouldn’t be posted online or shared with the world. What you do in your personal life is your business, so be careful when making it everybody else’s, too.
I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade (okay, maybe I do a little), but let’s get one thing straight, if you’re in a relationship, that’s awesome, but I don’t care about how much you love or hate your significant other, especially when you post about them every five minutes. “I love him so so much” “What a douchebag” “Love my baby girl”…the list of unnecessary status updates goes on and on. Nobody wants a play by play of your relationship. They don’t want to be put in the middle of an argument or read about your dirty laundry either (There are some who might, but don’t give them the option). Don’t share every aspect of your relationship with the world.
If you want to brag about your boyfriend or girlfriend online occasionally, that’s fine. Every once in a awhile, I’ll Instagram a picture of my boyfriend and me doing something fun together or I’ll post something short and sweet on his Facebook wall. Sometimes I’ll even tweet about going to dinner or the movies with him, simple things like that. A little sharing is alright, but don’t go overboard, for your sake, and mine. My advice to social media when it comes to dating is, don’t share anything with the world that you wouldn’t want to see or read if you were in someone else’s shoes. Oh, and just use common sense. I promise, it isn’t that hard (this includes using proper grammar, which many people seem to have difficulty with).
Another thing that drives me crazy to see on social media are pictures of a couple sucking face. When has it ever been okay to post photos of you making out with someone all over the internet? The answer is NEVER. Okay, we get it, you’re happy, or maybe that’s what you’re trying to persuade the world by posting those type of photos. Either way, nobody cares. And quite frankly, it makes me want to vomit. I’m totally okay with seeing photos of my friends with their boyfriend or girlfriend once in a while, but there are boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed. If nothing else, keep it PG, please.
Nothing makes me cringe more than seeing and hearing people use the words “bae” and “babe”, along with other names that should not be associated with a person. What does “bae” even mean? Did someone forget the letter ‘b’ in ‘babe’ and just do it over and over again until it became an actual thing? Personally, I don’t think it will ever be cool to use ‘bae’ or ‘babe’ in place of someone’s name, especially not when you use it over and over again, every. other. word. Sure, pet names are cute…for pets, not for your relationship. I learned that the hard way after my first real relationship. My boyfriend at the time would call me babe so much, that sometimes I wondered if he remembered my actual name. I can’t tell you why I thought it was cute at the time, but it got old pretty quickly, just like the relationship itself.
Don’t get me wrong, letting the world know that you’re in a relationship with a great person whom you love isn’t always a bad thing, but the way some people go about it is. I think it’s great to cherish the special relationship that you have, but don’t try to validate it by posting everything about it on the internet. Social media has drained so many relationships and completely ruined privacy. I think it’s important to remember that your relationship is just that, your relationship. It’s not meant to be shared with the rest of the world. Your relationship will be much stronger if you keep this in mind. Don’t believe me? Try it.
By minimizing what and how often you post about your dating life online, you reduce the chance of drama, miscommunication, and broken trust. You also don’t give other people the ability to gossip about your relationship, which is good, because it really is no one’s business but your own. The next time you go to post about your relationship online, take a second and think about whether the rest of your friends and followers should or even want to see what you have to share with them. You should want to brag about the person you’re dating, but there are many other ways to go about doing so besides plastering it all over the internet.
