In the realm of social media, we find ourselves meeting new friends, reconnecting with old friends, falling in love, generating enemies and just about everything in between. Whether you find yourself cruising Facebook for hours on end or drooling over Instagram photos, there is no escaping the allure of the unknown. Though you may feel as though you have a connection with someone via the Interweb, the truth of the matter is, sometimes your social media friends are anything but your friends.
Since the emergence of Facebook and Twitter as the main platforms for social media interaction, we realize that time after time we run into the same kind of people. You know the type. The ones who use these platforms as ways of venting, promoting, expressing, bragging, empathizing and updating. Whether you use Facebook as your main form of communication with friends, lovers and family or not, there is a huge distinction between the people you meet online and the people you meet on the streets.
As 21st century children, social media pushes us to make quick judgments. We characterize people by the type of statuses they post, the photos they’re tagged in and how many “likes” they have on their Instagram pictures. The old conventions of interaction, conversation and relationship have been substantially altered, to mirror a society that uses Facebook as a sounding board, Twitter as soapbox and Instagram as a modeling portfolio. Depending on how often you use social media and interact with your fans, followers and robot friends, we’re going to run through five of the people you will most likely come across on your excursion towards finding social media nirvana.
1. Mr. & Mrs. Popular
We all know these people. The Facebook guys and girls that seem like they’re taking over your news feed with partying pictures, boatloads of likes/comments/shares and Facebook love. The males and females on Instagram that have thousands of followers and even more likes on a photo of them smiling with a coffee. Yup, we all know them and are far too familiar with their actions. They ‘re social media cool, and whether we like it or not, we will never rival them in popularity; because as their follower base grows, ours just continues to deflate for the mere reason that we must not be using the secret part of these social media platforms that garners instant success.
2. The Drama King & Queen
Social media can be used in very helpful ways, but we tend to run into these kinds of people more often than not especially when scrolling through our Facebook and Twitter feeds. These kinds of people love to expose their daily struggles, though sometimes they’re as miniscule as sitting in traffic or disliking a co-worker. Though these males and females value the feedback they receive from their Twitter and Facebook peers more than their friends and family, it’s safe to say that creating drama on social media will only make their situation a bit more complex.
3. The Stranger
Strangers in the social media world just might be creepier than real-world strangers. Our parents taught us to never talk to strangers, so why do we continue to accept their friend requests and let them follow our daily activities through pictures? The answer to that question remains unknown, but it’s safe to say we all like a little attention now and then– and that is exactly what the stranger gives us. The stranger is the Facebooker that likes all of your status’ updates, the Instagrammer that likes all of your photos and the Twitter follower who comments, repost’s and favorites all of your tweets. Usually this stranger is somebody you have crossed paths with once or twice in your life, and in most cases you have never spoken a word to them. They merely exist in the social media world, to throw you the popularity bone whenever you need some love.
4. The Philosopher
As said before, social media can become very useful and that is where this person comes into play. Between the overbearing drama and useless banter of Facebookers, Tweeters and everything in between lies the philosopher. Their status updates are uplifting and they are generally filled with positive vibes and optimism. This person posts on social media platforms to counteract the negativity that so steadily surfaces on the Internet. The philosopher sometimes thinks he/she is something of a modern day Aristotle, but will settle for a few likes and some re-tweets here and there.
5. The Promoter
This type of social media user uses the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and everything in between to promote their life, their work and whatever they may be doing with their free time. From flouting their addiction to their beloved YouTube downloader to over-posting photos of their food, these people tend to believe that they are the center of the universe, and as such, everyone takes great interest in their lives. Overusing social media is an understatement and though the promoter may invite us to awesome club parties and exciting events, we tend to consistently ignore and reject these invitations. When the promoter is not exposing their work and getting the world of social media to bite onto their bait, they’re usually updating the world with whatever they may be eating, smelling, hearing or feeling.
To exile yourself from all of these categories would be a bit of a stretch. Though we may think we belong to a certain niche within the social media realm, we all have a bit of each of these within us. Next time you take a scroll through your Twitter, Instagram and Facebook feeds, reference this article to see what kind of virtual friends you have.
The team at YTD Youtube Downloader loves social media—hopefully they aren’t the drama queens we all loathe to meet online!
