#need #more #followers

#Hashtagging. An act that Twitter, Instagram, and now even Facebook use for people to be able to connect with other people who are hashtagging the same things. When you use hashtags on social media sites, you can look at anything that anyone else in the world posted using that hashtag as well. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for using a few hashtags here and there, I’m guilty of it on my Instagram and I think it’s kind of fun. Sometimes. But then there’s the people who feel the unnecessary need to hashtag #every #single #word #of #a #sentence, or just a whole sentence in general. I think our society is obsessed with making sure people see what they post. Everyone needs to make sure that their followers saw what they had for dinner last night, or what they’re wearing today. More hashtags = more followers. Why is that necessary? I think people should be posting for themselves more than to please others, because in reality who cares what other people think? Mostly I just think our generation is obsessed with getting attention.

These are hashtags of people I follow on Instagram. There are 20, yes 20 hashtags in the first one. In the second, the photo was of a dog, the person hashtagged golden retriever, then just golden, then just retriever. All of this is in an attempt to get more people to see your picture which will in turn give you more followers.

Fitspo? Really?

I’m a pretty active guy. I like to run and workout. I also follow a couple of fitness pages/people on instagram whether it’s for workout tips or recipes, I find that if you want to partake in a lifestyle you have to envelop yourself in it.

The pages post a lot of helpful stuff, however one thing I am not a fan of is this Fitspo trend going around. People pictures of their bodies and label it as inspiration for others. I have no problem with people posting pictures of themselves. What I do I have a problem with is the supposed reason for posting this pictures. Let’s be honest you work hard and your body looks great so you want to show off. Inspiring people is a secondary effect of the whole thing. The whole fitspo thing is an excuse for people to post pictures of themselves and not seem pompous. If I show you my car because I think it’s awesome and it somehow inspires you to work hard so you can have a cool car, great. But let us not act like  I showed you my car to inspire you.

Negativity on Social Media

Logging into my twitter account this morning after class was a perfect example of what I want to talk about today. I saw tweets from the accounts that I follow that said “Im hungry”, “I want to play gta”, “I want to go home”, “Im tired”, “All I want to do right now is go back to bed”, “I don’t want to go to chem”, “I’m not gonna make it through 2 classes without my chapstick…”, along with many more. This is not out of the norm, especially for a Monday morning. Twitter, and other social media sites, are such easy and accessible ways for people to say whatever is on their mind at that split second, whether it is actually thoughtful content, or a random complaint they have at the time that they feel people should know about.  I, at one point, was also a member of this group that tweeted random complaints, but after a short while of having an account I realized that so much of this was going on and I did not enjoy reading this information from other people. So who cared if I was tired or did not want to go to class? The answer is probably nobody. So I made it a point to myself to not post negative comments or complaints on my account because I did not want to be a part of this problem,

We can also see this idea in action by the fact that so many businesses have facebook and twitter accounts. Often times they have representatives who monitor these accounts to answer customer complaints. No business wants negative feedback all over twitter because that could affect sales or services, so they answer customer’s complaints publicly, right online. This has also just become another way for people to complain about something they might not like while also getting in contact with the business.

Gluten Free Overload

Being gluten free was an alien concept for me just a few months ago and now it is a prominent factor in my everyday life. Over the summer I was told I had a gluten free sensitivity and that I should practice a gluten free lifestyle. At first it was tough but now the thought of having food items with gluten doesn’t really phase me. I have noticed that the label of being gluten free is on numerous amounts of food items and with the high demand of gluten free products, companies are pricing their products with a hefty price tag compared to regular items. I have also noticed the increase of gluten free posts on my Instagram and Facebook which prompts me to believe that many people are adopting this popular diet. I am constantly bombarded with photos of gluten free dishes and baked goods which inspires me to bake since the photos look so delicious! Since being gluten free I have noticed a positive change in my life and I believe it is a diet that everyone should experience.

http://www.nycfoodtrucks.org/2013/08/guest-blogger-of-the-week-lea-faminiano/gluten-free