Ick. An ick is an expression used to express disgust. People can be icked out by many things, but what about on social media? What might we see that will bring this feeling of disgust.
Social Media is something used in everyone’s daily life, whether it is posting funny TikToks, laughing at Instagram reels or communicating with your friends through Snapchat. Social media is something people use a lot, especially teens. While social media is something used for communicating and laughing, sometimes you might be scrolling and a certain post might give you the ick. What are some of these icks and how can they be avoided?
Spamming Shenanigans
While posting is a fun way to express yourself, it gets to a point. Posting all the time, 24/7, more than once a day can often cause you to become an annoyance.
“I don’t like when people spam their public accounts,” said sophomore Ashylnn Childers. “It’s annoying, just make a spam account.”
Public accounts are like a highlight reel of your life, you post the good and the happy, it’s where anyone and everyone often follows you. What is posted on this account is often very pretentious and not used for daily posting, yet some people do. On the contrary people have what are referred to as spam or private accounts. On these are accounts you will often see people posting more, with a select group of people as well. These are accounts in which it is most of the time okay to post as much as you would like.
So if you are getting told you post too much, it might be time to invest in a spam account.
Snap Stories Sickenings
Snap stories can be a very tricky situation, your public snap story could be your worst enemy if not used correctly.
“I believe your public snap stories should only be used for posting friends’ birthdays and maybe an occasional cute photo of you and your boyfriend or girlfriend,” said sophomore Julissa Lujano. “Anything other than that should be on a private story so you’re not annoying those that don’t want to be bothered.”
Snap stories can be a creative way to interact with your friends, through a private story though. So next time you take a funny photo or video, think twice before you share it with two-hundred plus people on a public story and share it with your twenty close friends on your private story with a funny name and a bunch of comical emojis instead.
Another feature on Snapchat is the school story, a more recent tool added to the app. The original purpose of this was to find friends within your school community and communicate with them. Yet, it has become much worse. From people posting fight videos, making mean comments and making unnecessary posts, that quite frankly no one cares to see.
“I don’t like when people post on the school snap story,” said Lujano. “Saying stuff like I’m deleting snap here’s my number if you want to text me, like nobody cares and no one is going to text you.”
Instagram Iffys
“Instagram notes,” said junior Gracyn Taylor when asked about her Instagram ick. “Don’t do it.”
Instagram notes were originally supposed to be a way to maybe share what you were thinking, or doing, maybe even share a song, but it has gone too far. From posting some crazy comments, to starting online hate, instagram notes are not the place to do it, ever.
Now, when it comes to making an instagram post itself things can get stressful, things can be quite simple though. The main thing to do is not to post too many photos but also don’t only post one. Anywhere from three to ten does the trick. No more no less. After ten, things tend to get repetitive and the scrollers might ask themselves, when will it stop.
“I don’t like when people post like 50 slides,” said sophomore Boston Babson. “It gets annoying and uninteresting.”
Ick no more
So if while reading this story you may have thought “Oh no, I do this,” don’t worry it can be fixed. You already passed the first step, one of the hardest steps to pass, realizing you have a problem and admitting it. After that the next step is simple, stop. Don’t partake in these icks, try to fix them. Whether that is making a spam account, getting rid of the notes, or learning how to post on Instagram, stopping will be greatly appreciated by your peers. The final step is reversing the icks with “un-icks” or things that people enjoy seeing on social media.
“Lebron James edits will never give me the ick,” said sophomore Sam Sellers. “They bless my day everytime I see one.”
From posting hauls or get ready with me, a cute couple or friends trend, or even a Lebron James edit, things like these will never give the ick and will bring a cute smile to others faces, rather than a cringy one.
“I love when people post get ready with me and hauls,” said Lujano. “It’s fun to watch.”
My Apologies
So while it was not my intention to call you out, if I did I sincerely apologize and hope you use the information in this article for the greater good. I also hope that if you see something, say something. Do not be afraid to tell your friends to stop, it could save their reputation. With that I wish you the best of luck on your social media endeavors.
