One of my least favorite things is when I am talking to someone and all of a sudden they interrupt me and say, "Well, if I were you, I would have..." As these words leave their mouth, I tend to prepare myself for an extensive speech about how this person would have chosen the exact right thing to do at the perfect time and everything would have worked out so much better.
Public Service Announcement: No one wants to hear that! I think it is a wonderful thing to be able to formulate and voice your opinion on matters in which an opinion is relevant, but when it comes to the lives of those around us, I think it is best to keep that voice to ourselves.
So many times a fight has broken out in my friend groups because one person has felt the need to add their judgemental two cents where it is certainly not needed. I, for one, have definitely done this on so many occasions and seen the backlash that follows quickly after. Something I have learned from my friendships is that there are certain people who can handle the blatant truth and others who cannot, but regardless, it isn't always needed. My view is that if it is not your life, you can not imagine, let alone give advice on, how to live it.
Social media started as a way for people to connect but has morphed over the years into a platform for individuals to showcase their lives. This is not necessarily a bad thing, yet it is not exactly good either. For some twisted reason, we have begun to "troll" on these pages, expressing nondesirable opinions about the ways in which others are living their lives and how they choose to carry themselves. I would like to bring up a basic human lesson I think we all learned around the age of five, "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all."
Whether you are leaving a comment on someone's photos or saying it behind their back, there is really no good reason for your actions. Judging someone else's life based off of some pictures or videos is simply absurd. They did not ask for your opinion, and thus it is not needed.
Whether you are expressing your opinion with a positive or negative motivation, make sure you really think through how it is going to impact whoever is on the receiving end. Remeber, advice and commentary that is not asked for can easily be seen as criticism.
