Manners Matter: My Friend is Social Media Obsessed

Dear Mary Pat,

My friend is social media obsessed. We can’t take a bite of our food before she takes a picture of each of our entrees for Instagram. I really don’t think that people care what each of us ordered while we were out for dinner. She’s starting to act more like a publicist than a friend with the way that she is constantly posing us for pictures and checking us into places on Facebook as though we have an adoring public watching our every move. I just want to hang out with my friends and not have to wonder if my hair is camera ready.

Signed,

Overexposed

Ephraim, Wis.

Dear Overexposed,

There are some people who need to prove to the world how much fun they are having. However, if they are constantly taking pictures and not focusing on the conversation that is happening right in front of them, are they really having that much fun after all? And to answer your question, I don’t think people really care about each of your entree selections…unless it is a particular spectacular dish en flambé (in flames).

You can encourage your friend to actively participate in the conversation at hand and to keep her phone in her purse. She might actually have more fun that way and won’t necessarily feel the need to share it.

Good luck,

Mary Pat