What is Social Media Etiquette?

From Twitter and Snapchat to Instagram, our dependence on social media is showing no signs of dwindling. Yet many of us forget that social media also has a set of preferred social etiquettes that are reflective of the daily etiquettes we apply. For this, Etiquette and Protocol Expert and Image Consultant Balsam Khalil—Founder of Etiquette with Balsam, provides a guideline to help.

Privacy Factor

“What we see on the social media nowadays is not acceptable. Everything is being featured and there is a lack of privacy that sometimes leads to the lack of boundaries. There is no respect for the audience, no limits whatsoever. People need to keep their private lives to themselves, or to a minimum, and showcase only things which are beneficial or acceptable to the public eye. Anything such as posting pictures in PJs, inappropriate nightwear/blouses by the so-called fashionistas, public figures, or bloggers are considered inappropriate. Indecency, when see all
over social media, is not acceptable. In this region, we come from a conservative background; this is part of the culture. People need to edit and make sure that not only us but anyone who is featured with us, in the picture is well edited before being posted online.”

Online Exaggeration

“Whatever people show on the social media is way a better version of what happens in real life—trying to show that they are humorous, funny and cool, when they are in reality far away from that. Shouting, silly ways of expressing happiness is simply being fake.”

Code of Conduct

“We need to follow conduct, ethics, and respect any environment we are in specially the conservative one in the Gulf Region. We need to respect the audience by watching what we say, how we eat, how we behave, and present ourselves in a proper way and definitely what message do we want people to understand when they see us or our profile.”