Posted!: The Facebook dos and dont's

Social media is a powerful, yet potentially harmful tool.

I use Facebook page to share my thoughts, photos, songs, etc. I use Twitter account for work but occasionally tweet interesting things I find on the web. My Instagram is filled with photos of my son, my boyfriend, my friends —  and food!

I use all of these various platforms for fun because I don’t believe social media is a place to rant and rave. But when I log onto my Facebook account I often see countless inappropriate posts by my “friends”.

There will be one girl trashing her baby daddy ‘cos he doesn’t pay for his child, he doesn’t see his child but he goes away whenever he wants and spends his money, blah blah blah.

There will be a guy slamming women, calling them b*****s and h**s. Yep, that’s just the way to find the ideal mate. Then there’s the narcissist who works out 24/7 and posts pics of each and every workout. Keep the flexing to yourself, buddy.

But the worst for me are sonogram pictures. This is social media, not a doctor’s appointment — I don’t need to see the inside of your uterus!

And social media is not the place to complain about your job. Even if your page is private, this is Bermuda, HELLO! Chances are your boss knows someone who knows you. All it takes is a screen shot and you could find yourself out of work. Think before you click.

Is it a case of deja vu all over again? You’ll recall that St George’s West MP Nandi (Davis) Outerbridge found herself in hot water earlier this summer after heated messages she allegedly sent to a woman via Facebook went public.

Outerbridge said her account was hacked and that she was not responsible for the messages. Photos surfaced of the woman’s car with insulting words scratched into the paint-work and police were involved. 

The Royal Gazette reported this week that Mrs Outerbridge will not face any charges.

It seems Mrs Outerbridge might have chosen Facebook to post a message thanking her supporters — and lambasting her ‘quick to judge’ detractors. Or was it a hacker posing as the MP? We might never know as the page was subsequently removed.

“We don’t live in a perfect world, and we all make mistakes” the post read. There were also references to “fatal attraction” and attempts to “destroy” her life — but the upshot is that she is now closer to her husband “and more importantly to God”. 

Whether it was a Facebook imposter or the MP herself, I’m sure many readers — and especially those OBA supporters who feared a by-election in her marginal seat — will welcome the closing sentiment in the post, which echoed an old proverb: “This too has passed.”