Are we supposed to know what to post on what social media platform?
Recently, teenagers have been sharing personal stories that are related to serious matters on Tick Tock. For those of you who don’t know what this social media platform is, it is a video sharing app of 15 to 60 seconds clips that have funny and/or music content. Most of its users are tweens, teenagers, and young adults.
The debate comes whether there is a time and place for speaking about serious subjects on social media.
Social media has become a platform of oversharing since it is easy to pour your thoughts, opinions, and stories to people from all over the world. It is hard to put boundaries and filters on what to post on which media platform.
Therefore, we asked people about their opinions on posting serious subjects on a “jokey” platform; and oversharing on social media.
Fraser, 19, student
“To be honest, I feel like there should be a time and a place to talk about serious things. I think that’s the best way to go. If I knew that I should expect to find serious stuff while scrolling through a social media app, I suppose I wouldn’t be surprised; but otherwise I would be shocked.”
Loma, 54, business owner
“I’m careful with what I post on social media because it might affect my two businesses. My views on certain things aren’t necessary the same views as my customers’; so, I’m careful. I don’t think that it’s an appropriate place to post serious matters on a jokey platform; because there’s a time and place to shock, and that’d be a shock tactic. It wouldn’t necessarily work for everybody so you have to think about the positive impact that it might give.”
Sorin, 29, sales advisor
“I wouldn’t share or reply to a post about a serious matter on a platform like that. I don’t mind seeing a post like that; but I wouldn’t interact with it. We share too much on social media and it’s bad.”
Michelle, 29, nursery nurse
“It depends on what the subject is, it can be okay sometimes. It’s not a big deal if we use humour to tackle serious matters. It’s braking the barriers of what society expects. However, the situation differs when it comes to which social media platform to use.”
Ashley, 29, sales advisor
“We do share too much on social media, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and I just don’t agree with it. Once you post you post something, you share it with the entire world and it’ll no longer become yours.”