You know how it goes: you are logged onto Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or some other social media site and then all of a sudden, “ding!” you get a notification that you have been tagged in a photo. You brace yourself. And then, a (what you consider bad) photo of yourself pops up — one you didn’t even know existed. Cringe.
This used to annoy me.
As someone who didn’t grow up with social media, it felt weird that other people, had the power to broadcast an image of me — and, secondly, why would they choose such a bad photo of me to share with the world?
I felt like my privacy had been violated. If I had wanted everyone to know about the double pimple on my chin, I would have posted about it myself.
After my irritation subsided, I inevitably faced a choice:
(If we are being honest here, it wasn’t just a choice; this was going to be an extended period of wasted energy, anxiety, and questions).
- Do I de-tag myself?
- Will removing the tag hurt the tagger’s feelings? Will they even notice? Does it matter if they notice?
- Shouldn’t I be in charge of what photos of myself appear online?
I realized that, for me, the actual answers to these questions didn’t make much of a difference. I also learned that trying to answer these questions became exhausting and a time-drainer.
What to do with tagged photos
To continue reading, click here to read the full post on Eating Recovery Center’s blog.