Top Ten Facebook Faux-Pas

September 22, 2012
By: Jessica Brown

1. 

For most of our generation, constantly checking your Facebook is so natural that it almost feels like a reflex. It’s a fantastic tool that can be used to stay in touch, to network and to post countless pouting snaps of yourself- but use it wisely. Here, I sum up what I feel are the 10 worst mistakes any self respecting social networker can make on Facebook…

1. Having your Twitter automatically post to Facebook

It’s great that we have multiple mediums for social networking, but keep them separate; there’s a reason I chose not to follow you on Twitter, don’t punish me by forcing it on my news feed.

1. 2. Posting “do I know you?” on someone’s timeline after accepting their friend request

It’s awkward and unnecessary; what are private messages for if not for something that’ll make everyone who sees it cringe?

3. 3. “Jess Brown’s recent top songs on Spotify: ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ – One Direction (100 listens)”

I thought I’d ticked the ‘don’t publish my embarrassing music history on Facebook’ box. Evidently, I was wrong.

3. 4. Updating your status when you meant to post in a private group

Depending on how quickly you notice your mistake and the nature of your comment, this can either be highly amusing or incredibly awkward.

3. 5. Swearing or discussing something ‘outrageous’ in a post and subsequently getting a public reprimand from a family member

Facebook has some really nifty privacy settings that you can utilise on any individual post so you can hide a particular status update, wall post, or photo from that family member you foolishly accepted a friend request from.

3. 6. Posting vague passive aggressive statuses à la “guess you just don’t know who your real friends are”

It’s not a particularly classy way of voicing your anger and it’s never as hard-hitting as you think it’s going to be.

3. 7. Tactfully asking “omg what happened?!?!” on someone’s changed relationship status

Again, what’s private messaging for?

3. 8. Getting tagged in photos in which you’re in a compromising position with someone else. Bonus points if either of you have significant others.

These kind of photos toe the line between ‘hilarious’ and ‘homewrecking’.

3. 9. Drunk posting

It’s not that irritating if it’s once or twice, but when you become that person that says stuff like “got soooo smashed with the ladsssss tonight” and keysmashes in every group they’re in after two WKDs, you know it’s probably time to step away from the internet.

3. 10. Posting song lyrics as your status

When we were about 14 this was sort of socially acceptable; now not so much. As cringe-worthy as it is when you see someone doing it on your news feed, I’m also eagerly awaiting the day when someone unironically quotes Taylor Swift’s ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’.