I came across of post today (via a follower in Google Reader) that spoke about bad habits in social media. It was a pet peeve post, but it wasn’t, if that makes sense. However, the post got me thinking about how the importance and self need for acceptance within the social bubble, often lead folks to say one thing and do the opposite.
In this particular post, by someone of fairly significant influence, touched on respect and following up/through on your written word. But then it struck me. The same person who wrote this post, did the exactly same thing to me. You know, the whole “pot calling the kettle black” saying…complete and utter #fail.
So how often do we set rules and expectations when it comes to people dealing with us, yet we fail to hold ourselves to those standards? It’s no secret that social media has allowed a lot of folks to become jaded and has given a lot of people a sense of entitlement. Yes, I said it. You think you are more important than you are. Not only are we blinded by these shiny new objects, but we’re also failing to realize that although these tools are new, the same principles we use in real, human-to-human contact still apply.
So step down from your high horse, realize that you aren’t that important, and practice what you preach. Our society is beginning to shy away from accountability and social media adds fuel to that fire. Not only do we need to hold brands accountable, but we need to hold ourselves accountable. Again, this isn’t rocket science. The same rules of decency and respect still apply.
