Do You Use Social Media to Brag About Your Relationship?
Ok. I get it, not everyone wants to know that I have the best husband everor that he surprised me and brought home my favorite dessert. But do you care to know that he bought me some bling or that he is sending me to the spa this weekend? No? Good. Because he didn't and he's not but he's welcome to do so. Let's just be clear about that.
There is a thin line between sharing and bragging, and social media makes it hard to tell sometimes. For some it really is just sharing. Our family and friends love to see whatever we are tweeting, posting or instagraming. I mean realistically, if they don't want to see it they can un-friend or un-follow. If you don't want to see photos of my children or my husband over and over, you have every right to make sure that my feed no longer pops up each time you sign on.
For those of us who are keen on sharing whatever it is we choose to share, what is our reason for doing it? I am asking myself by the way because the article I read by Your Tango got me thinking about the whole notion of social media and bragging. I share because there are people who are interested in seeing whatever it is I have to share whether it is a cupcake or a post referencing how thankful I am for the support of my spouse. Someone reading might feel compelled to go and get a cupcake or they might stop and reflect on why they too are thankful for their own spouse.
Related: 20 things ALL women do but hate to admit
Now, let's say my husband buys me some fancy shoes. Instead of simply saying thank you to him I might now feel compelled to post a photo and say something witty followed by the hashtag #besthusbandever and then @ him. Then everyone who follows me has the luxury of seeing the shoes that my husband got me because that's so important. Ok, not important but I for one love photos of cute shoes and accessories in my Instagram feed. Posting new shoes isn't necessary but sometimes we want to do things that aren't necessarily out of necessity, but are purely for our enjoyment (and maybe the enjoyment of our family and friends).
In the case of Facebook, Your Tango notes, "Facebook gives us a chance to tell our significant others we love them and let the world see it." The same can be said for other social sharing platforms such as Instagram and Twitter.
So what are your thoughts on this? Is sharing photos of gifts our spouse has given us or romantic vacations we have gone on bragging? Does virtual PDA annoy you? Is it fair to say that the sharing of anything good or that is a material object will be interpreted as you being boastful? I mean really, aren't sites like Facebook and Instagram for sharing anyway?
At the moment, my thoughts are that while I may not care to see multiple recaps daily of what everyone's spouse is doing for them (I do love #babyspam though) I am not opposed to reading or seeing photos of such here and there. At the end of the day, if I have an issue it can be addressed with one click. Share what makes you happy, it's your right, it's your account/feed/page.
My personal thoughts are that we shouldn't be so caught up in sharing and the response we will get from others that you fail we fail live in the moment. The fact that your husband and daughter bought you a celebratory cake and attempted to decorate it (true story) will still be just as special whether or not someone decides it is worthy of a "like" or comment. Your vacation still happened whether you got around to posting it or not. Even offline life is happening and will continue to happen.
So for those of you who like sharing, keep sharing but don't be surprised if some are opposed to your humble brags. And remember that humility goes a long ways. If you are lucky or blessed then be that and be thankful. Be humble. And if you follow me on Instagrambewarebecause I just might post a picture of that handsome husband of mine and the cupcake he brought me. Read more on social media and bragging over atYour Tango.
-By Krishann Briscoe
Follow Krishann on Babble
For 7 things moms should never post on Facebook, visit Babble!
MORE ON BABBLE
14 things you should never say to a woman
15 ways women are ruining their sex lives
25 things women will never understand about men
The 10 worst offenses of online-parent gloating
Stay connected. FollowBabbleonFacebookandTwitter.
