It’s everywhere you look. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Blogger, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Pinterest — I’m going to need a new monitor for this. What is this you ask? Oh, the newest social media craze known as social media tag fatigue (SMTF). You may have already been tagged in a post or seen pictures of friends tagging each other in posts and be wondering what’s going on and if you’re next. I’ll tell you right now that we’ve all been tagged by someone (at least once), and it’s completely normal for people to be added to a post when they weren’t the original ones tagged. But how should you respond? Do you feel like you’re always being bombarded with social networks that no one needs when there are only so many hours in the day? If this sounds like you, then read on…
What is social media tag fatigue?
Tag fatigue is the term used to describe how we can become tired of repeatedly being tagged in posts on social media. The term was coined by a professor at Harvard University, who noticed that his students were becoming fatigued by the sheer volume of tags they were receiving.
We’re all aware of the problem, but there’s no easy solution. There are no protocols in place to limit the amount of tags you receive, and most platforms don’t even allow you to opt out entirely. If you’re tired of seeing the same old faces in your feed every day, there are some things you can do to help fight back against tag fatigue and keep your feeds fresh.
What are the signs?
Social media fatigue is real.
We’re all guilty of letting our social feeds go unattended for way too long, but there are some tell-tale signs of social media tag fatigue that show when you need to take a step back from the screen.
- You’ve stopped posting on a regular basis
- You miss your favorite shows because you’re too busy scrolling through Instagram and Facebook
- You find yourself taking screenshots of everything, even if it’s not worth saving or sharing
- Your phone battery is dying at least once a day because you can’t put it down
How is it treated?
Social media fatigue is a common condition that affects many people. It’s estimated that more than 80 percent of social media users are affected by the condition, which occurs when someone feels overwhelmed by the amount of time they spend on social media sites. Social media fatigue may be treated with the following methods:
– Change your password and log in less frequently
– Unfollow people who don’t post valuable content
– Delete apps from your phone and computer
– Spend less time on social media sites
How can you help someone with social media tag fatigue?
Here are couple tips for keeping your friends from burning out on all those tags:
Don’t assume that everyone wants to be tagged in everything. Some people may not want their photos or videos shared publicly or may not want to be tagged in photos with other people. Ask before tagging someone — no one wants to feel like they’re being stalked by strangers on social media!
Ask permission before posting something with another person in it. If you recognize someone but don’t know them personally, ask if it’s OK to tag them before sharing an image or video of them online. This gives them a chance to decide whether or not they want their online presence tied to yours without having to confront you directly about it later on down the line.
How can you prevent social media tag fatigue?
Social media tag fatigue is a phenomenon that happens when you get so many notifications on social media that you start to ignore them. Social media tag fatigue can be avoided by following these tips:
Don’t follow too many people on social media. If you follow more people than you can realistically keep up with, it’s going to be hard to keep up with all the posts from your favorite pages and users.
Keep your feeds clean by unfollowing and unfriending accounts that don’t provide value for you anymore. It takes time to manage your social media accounts, so make sure you’re not following anyone who doesn’t add real value for you.
Turn off push notifications from apps like Facebook Messenger and Instagram so that they don’t show up in your phone’s notification center. This will help reduce the number of times you see a message pop up on your phone when all it does is distract you from what you’re doing at that moment.
Final thoughts on social media tag fatigue
My goal with this post was not so much to convince people that social media tag fatigue is a problem but rather to raise awareness of the problem. This isn’t an epidemic that’s likely to impact your life in any significant way (unless you’re a blogger or marketer, in which case it can be a real pain). However, it’s still something that we should think about and address as taggers and content creators whenever possible.
Image source: freepik.com