Listed: 10 rules to avoid social media douchebaggery

Some guidelines to make sure you stay on the right side of the tweet

By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor

Sometimes people forget that their online activities can be linked to their real life. No, I’m not talking about that weird crap they look for on PornHub, but rather their posts, critiques, and thoughts that they decide are worthy of a tweet or a status update. Admittedly, I am a very opinionated person, but there are things that I read that make even me cringe at times. Sometimes knowing when to keep it to yourself is the greatest gift you can give to humanity—so here’s a list of 10 rules to avoid being a social media douchebag.

1. Referencing a refugee crisis in a pun? You’re not funny. You’re just an ass.
2. Starting anything with “I’m not racist, but…” Nope, sorry kiddo. You’re a racist.
3. Using social media to complain about the gay agenda to major companies and/or celebrities. The internet is for cat videos, not debating the morality of rainbow Doritos.
4. Complaining about any charity, ever! Unless they’re a front for the mob, any money going to any one in need is a good thing. So be quiet about whether you agree with their ethics, and just use that time you would have spent complaining to find a charity you can agree with.
5. Bitching about people posting selfies. Social media is for selfies, complaining about it doesn’t make you look any less self-absorbed. It just makes you look like a hipster.
6. Giving your own personal take on political matters when you have no idea how politics work. Take a class, maybe read a book—maybe then, if you’re lucky your comment will sound more Stephen Colbert and less Donald Trump.
7. Making posts that assume everyone on the Internet is from your country.
8. Complaining about your job. No one wants to hear about how shitty your job is, or how shitty you are at it. It is completely in your power to quit if it really bothers you that much. Unless you’re trying to be one of those dumb people that gets caught complaining about their job by their manager—that shit is hilarious.
9. If your joke is so tasteless you couldn’t tell it to your best friend or significant other, the internet does not need to hear it.
10. If you claim to be a social media expert, or have to reference how many twitter followers you have to legitimize you opinions—your opinions probably aren’t valid in the first place.