One of the most frustrating things about living in this day and age has to be the constant bombardment of personal information that we’re fed via social media. From Friendster to Myspace to Facebook and Twitter, I spent my 20s among the steep rise of these social networks and for a long time was a happy and willing participant. I enjoyed seeing what people were up to, liked getting tagged in photos, and because I knew names but not email addresses, it was the easiest way to get in touch with my network of friends and acquaintances.

Lately though, I’ve become so utterly disenchanted with the entire thing. It now feels like something you have to do instead of a fun, time wasting hobby. Checking Facebook is a compulsion. Tweeting consistently is expected. Getting away from it would free up so much of my day that I would actually have time to go experience the world instead of trying to document my life as it happens without ever really being in the moment.

Maybe it’s because I am having such a hard time wrestling with the idea of whether or not I am (or should be) and actor that I’ve become so cynical about seeing what I see from fellow arts-workers popping up in my feeds. There are a few different beasts that I see consistently.

a. the success

“I’m so blessed!” “I have the best job in the world!” ”

This is the person who is having a really fortunate run of great things happening. Maybe they’ve booked a tour, or back-to-back shows. Maybe they’ve won an award, maybe they’ve landed a high profile gig. You can’t really fault them for posting about their joy, how happy they are and how much they love their job, but it’s easy to let their posts make you even more depressed about your own situation.

b. the whiner

“When is it going to be my turn?” “The industry is just shallow.” “I deserved that part, why couldn’t they see that?”

This is someone who is having a run of bad luck, or who hasn’t worked in a while. They feel the need to let everyone know that they’re miserable but that it’s always someone else’s fault that their genius isn’t getting recognized.

c. the over-sharer

“My show is opening tomorrow!” “My show is opening tonight!” “My show opens in 6 hours!” “2 hrs til curtain!” “On in 5!” etc.

We all know how important self promotion is, and of course we want to share the excitement that we’re feeling, but there comes a point – when your personal social media page is flooded with a constant feed of nothing but ads for your latest project – that it gets to be too much. No one needs a countdown to your opening night, or for you to constantly post your cast’s inside jokes in a cryptic way on your wall. Posting (the hand picked good) reviews while complaining about the bad ones is also a no-no. Everything in moderation.

d. the optimist

“It’s going to happen.” “My time is coming, just wait and see.” ” This class is opening my eyes to a world of artistic possibility!”

This is the person who has the sunny attitude about the business. He or she is probably fairly new and hasn’t become jaded yet. He/she posts inspirational quotes about acting/artists/the biz, and lots of links to articles about successful people.

e. the pessimist

“I’ll admit it, I’m jealous. Again.” “Apparently I’m not suited for anything.” “I’m never getting booked again.”

This one is down and out and beats his/herself up a lot. They take the blame for how hard it can be to work in the industry and don’t see the fun in the work or the hustle anymore. They’ve all but given up and they want you to know it.

Now the thing is, most of us have felt all of those feelings before. But feeling them is one thing. Talking about them with someone who understands or is willing to lend an ear is another. Using social media as a sounding board is entirely another. So go ahead and share that article about the interesting puppet work being done in New Zealand. Send me an invite to your show to let me know it’s happening. But use some self restraint and be aware of what you’re putting out there because right now, in 2013, your social media footprint is a telling part of who you are.