Everyone has THAT friend who lives on the Internet. They post every detail of their life on Facebook and on Twitter. They post tons of pictures daily on Instagram of outfits and meals consumed. (if you don’t have that friend, you need to take a look in the mirror, because that friend could be you…) The digital world is their oyster until one day… it’s not. One person disagrees with one of their statuses, someone makes a joke about a picture they’ve posted, or their mentions on Twitter are bombarded with combative comments replying to something they tweeted. Then their love for social media has turned to hatred and they’re faced with the dilemma to delete or not delete – possibly deserting the social media network altogether.
The Internet is no longer a friendly place. Users find themselves in the middle of a war they can’t contain because of that pesky share button and retweet option that makes one post viral in seconds. As a result they begin the process of packing their digital baggage filled with over used hashtags and untagged photos and wave farewell to their online profiles.
People delete their accounts everyday for various reasons. The ones who leave because of drama they most likely created, I like to call them “social network deserters”. There are two types of social network deserters, the one who takes immediate action after an embarrassing or angering exchange or the one who drags it out hoping someone acknowledges their decision to leave it all behind.
The ones who drag it out spend the next few hours and sometimes days, posting that they are “done” with social networks, some even urge all of their “real friends” to request their number to stay in touch. Celebrities tend to fall into the swift action category. Most likely their PR person pulled the plug. Case in point, the most recent celebrity deserter who had a less than stellar night of communicating on a public forum: Chris Brown.
Regardless of which type of deserter they are, one thing they both have in common is that they always come back. When they do it’s not without fan fare. The average Joe posts an “I’m back” statement and waits for the likes or retweets to roll in. The media outlets unofficially handle the announcements for the celebrities.
History, however, never fails to repeat itself and you know what they say about idle hands, especially hands that have access to smart phones. When they do return it’s only a matter of time before another incident reminds them of why they hate allowing friends and strangers into their personal lives.
Until then there are enough social network super users who are willing to fight the good fight and provide just as much drama for those who like to watch to stay entertained.
Are you one of these social network deserters or super users? Do you think celebrities should fend for themselves via social media or just quit the game entirely? Sound off below…
