Cathy Dobbs: When social media gets too sociable

There’s no mistaking that sinking feeling you get when you check out a new friend on social media, only to discover they are a fully-fledged ego maniac.

While you thought your new pal at Zumba was like a laugh-a-minute Sarah Millican type, just one glance at her Facebook page makes you realise that she is so self-absorbed she makes Kim Kardashian look like Mother Teresa.

It’s incredible how many people seem relatively normal face to face, but then on social media they morph into somebody almost unrecognisable from their real life persona. There seem to be so many attention seekers online that we have almost got used to it.

For example there is The Feed Filler, who saturates your social media feed with every little detail of their ‘oh so important’ life. So they take pictures of their morning cup of tea, their breakfast and the shoes they are wearing that day for work. Their friends hear about every little pain and illness, from random twinges and headaches to their runny nose and sore throat. They write about the TV programmes they watch, the phone calls they make – in fact every fleeting thought is recorded for all their friends to read. And at the end of the night they make sure they always say goodnight to their legion of fans, sorry I mean friends.

Next there is The Drama Queen who likes to leave us all hanging. They post short shocking sentences, which are designed to give them as much attention as possible, such as ‘I hate my life’ or ‘I’ve had enough’. Of course, their friends always react with concerned replies, wondering what has gone wrong. But the Drama Queen never divulges what her public outburst has been about, she is enjoying the attention too much.

There’s also The Humble Bragger, who is desperate for complements and reassurance. They are most likely to be found writing ‘One year ago I was overweight, unemployed and broke, but look at me now – I’ve just won Miss Universe and I’m managing director of a multi-national company’. They create an image of the perfect and enviable life, which has been achieved against the odds, meaning they have every right to boast about their situation.

There are other types too, such as The Selfie Snapper, who can’t stop posting pictures of themselves, and The Gym Kings, who think nothing of sharing pictures of their washboard stomachs and bulging biceps.

This overt naval-gazing obviously makes people feel happier, but only for a short while – the long-term affects could be really negative. For example, I know of a landlord who didn’t offer a tenancy to someone because of how they came across on social media. I’m sure there are people that have missed out on a job opportunities, or dating chances, because of their self-absorbed online musings. If they could only show their hundreds of friends and followers the best side of their personality, instead of the worst, they may achieve some of the attention and admiration that they crave.