Does anyone else feel like people are just constantly showing off these days?

[Owlight637]

I’m not on any social media but I do have what’s app. Every day I get photos from friends-in the last 24 hours I’ve had photos of:

• a friend’s puppy asleep in its crate

-neighbours decking that they’ve build -a plant pot that a different friend has painted -SIL on the beach with my nephews (captioned with how lucky they are to live so close to the sea) -a 3 course meal that another friend made

I seem to spend all my time replying ‘well done, fantastic, looks lovely etc etc

I don’t know if I’m being over sensitive because quite frankly, (in my opinion) I’ve got nothing worth photographing and sending to anyone (the pizza I shoved in the oven, DS playing on his Xbox, the dog asleep on its chair perhaps?)

Is it me? Am I miserable? I wonder if this is how social media (ie, Facebook or Instagram) is these days and because I’m not part of it I find it odd.

I think if it's friends watsapling you then it's more of a daily diary rather than showing off. I send my friends pictures like this, but also pics of my spots / mess kids have made / particularly impressive poos in the potty, so a balance of look at this lush thing, and look at this shit thing (literally with the poo).
Are you feeling a bit meh? Understanable of course, maybe they are dealing with their meh in a different way.

It's not just you, my social media feeds are like that and I feel the same.

It’s difficult isn’t it because that sounds kind of sweet, like they’re just trying to include you in their life, but equally that has to be balanced out with everyday moans and chit chat. If it is literally them just sending you photos of their fabulous houses, partners and Hermes handbags then yep, they’re braggarts.

I hide myself away a lot now social media wise. But I imagine the same old shit x 100 regarding 'blessed' and can see the posts now with the beautiful children and home made banana bread. I know from my own social circle that most of it is bullshit.

I think none of them things are bragging especially on WhatsApp. Surely this constitutes as their news. What would you like them to talk about, the other 23 hours that they did fuck all or coronavirus in general?

I would poss agree (this is mild stuff still though) if it was on social media but WhatsApp is people interacting with you personally, not blurting it out to anyone who wants to give them attention .

I’m just sick of it all to be honest. I don’t know if it’s just me, I am I bit down. I’ve got a lovely life but I’ve got nothing of any real interest going on. I don’t find any of the photos that I get sent interesting either though. I don’t understand why anyone would take a photo of their plate of food or their dog asleep. It’s just normal life isn’t it? I’m just fed up of having to comment or congratulate people on stuff like this. It’s all the time as well, not just because people are bored in lockdown.

Oh and the photos of people’s kids, endless. I’m very aware that I sound like a complete bitch, maybe I just am!!

Yes. I couldn't agree more. It's a weird world we live in.

FuckThisWind the banana bread! Yes!

The first week of homeschooling was on another level, so many photos of kids sat around dining tables, with flowers and pots of pens and fruit.

Anotherthink this is what I can’t work out-is it bragging? Is it news? Is it just me being miserable? Some days I can happily reply with a genuine ‘lovely cake/plant/drawing’ other days I just want to tell all to fuck off!

Social media is alway like this. Some people just have more time on their hands at the moment to both “make memories” and to look at social media.

It's people trying to keep in touch with you I guess. Showing you what's going on in their world. None of those examples seem like bragging to me.

I’m so frustrated by it today because what do you do about it? I’ve only got WhatsApp, do I delete that too? Im getting slower and slower at opening the messages and replying. I’ve got 2 photos waiting to be opened and replied to.

Are you communicating with them?
Or are they making the first move all the time?
None of us have much to talk about at the moment, but at the same time, some of us are really really missing people and conversation. Maybe they are reaching out to try to talk to you because they are going crazy at home (alone with just their families/housemates)
Maybe try to start a conversation on your terms, about something you find interesting, before they start the conversation with their photos?

(I'm presuming that a: These are friends/family that you love and care about and b: you want them to continue to be in your life after CV-19)

Honestly, if a photograph of someone’s plant pot causes you to have such strong feelings, I think you need to rethink either your friendship group, or how you view your life.

The soda bread, the allotment, the cat, the pasta... Oh shut up!

I have very few people on wassap, I'm talking about fakebook. Apparently Instagram is worse. I'm going nowhere near that.

This was happening LONG before COVID.

Campervan69 I’m sure you’re right because most of these people are lovely. It just comes across to me as showing off. I wish I could change my attitude towards it because if I could just see it as someone keeping in touch then I might enjoy receiving them. I had the same problem with Facebook, I came off that because I couldn’t handle seeing 101 photos of people on holiday, with all the captions of how amazing their holiday’s going. Photos of peoples Christmas dinners etc etc. I was starting to post similar things and I just felt like I had to get away from it, I don’t want to be that person but I don’t want to be this person either!

Oh I get loads. Look at my lockdown art, look at our fantastic family birthday lunch, look how my children have grown now they are nearly 30 and their super partners, our new kitten, ra ra ra. And I just think what bores - do they actually have nothing better to do than take pictures and post.

It's all a load.of tommy rot.

Agreed OP

I do see a lot of things on social where I think, would you have done that if you weren’t able to take a photo and post it to all your followers?

And yes this was going on way before covid. I think it’s now probably much worse and my tolerance for it is even thinner cause I am fed up and I’m not making magical memories I just trying to get through each day.

Yes I agree and I find it really cringe especially the shameful boasting on Facebook. It doesn't impress me, quite the opposite! Remember that people never put any bad stuff online it's always the heavily filtered best bits. Take it with a fistful of salt! I have a serial bragger on my social media and it's just a massive eye roll every time I see her highly intelligent toddler, new car, holiday, designer shoes, promotion, whatever. People don't seem to think any achievement is worth having unless you can rub it in other people's faces these days. I realise I sound like a bitter old battleaxe but it is a pet hate of mine

I think this is about your own mental health, you’ve had previous issues and it seems you’ve still got them. It doesn’t sound like you’re very happy or engaged at the moment. Plant pots and dogs sleeping isn’t showing off.

I have friends who send me this stuff, I do it back, I like it. I’d never consider they are showing off by showing me something cute of their dog, or something nice in the garden, because they aren’t, they are just sharing.

I know what you mean because I often feel like that about social media. But do you ever get that feeling of pride where you just love something and sometimes want to share it with your friends or family? I think that's what this is, but they don't realise how it can make other people feel (shit).
I don't go on fb much but Instagram is more of just my own personal album because I love taking photos, I don't care what others think about it, but yeah it is partly to share your life with your friends, what's going on in it. Unless these people are boasty people in real life then really there's no malice. Don't reply to the pics, change the subject a day later and theyll soon get the picture but be prepared to burn bridges if they're the type.

Yes you’re being miserable, if it was social media then fair enough, but these are friends purposely messaging you to show you things they’re proud of and think you’d be interested in. You don’t sound like a great friend to be honest.

I think that about Instagram. I have an account and follow my friends. But I have never posted anything as I don't think any of the stuff I do is worth sharing. But then they all post what I consider very banal shit like their plant or their home made bread or their new curtains and I just feel like it's all so...immodest.