We’ve seen a lot of social media personalities go by the wayside in recent years: those who constantly post pictures of their food, those who retweet every joke they see, and more.
But there are some new ones we’re starting to see pop up on our feeds. Are you a lurker? An ultra? A denier? Find out here!
The Lurkers
A seemingly afraid-of-social-interaction attitude, which is not to be confused with actual social anxiety. When you scroll down the list of friends on your favorite sites and click their names, only to find that their profiles are completely empty and have been for months at a time? Yeah, these guys. On Twitter, they’re the people who follow hundreds or thousands of people but only tweet things like “I am eating a sandwich” or “wow it’s raining today,” or just retweet other people. In a related sense, they’ll have all of their Facebook information set to private (or nonexistent), so you can’t see anything about them besides their name.
The Deniers
Deniers are the people who are often on social media but deny it. They say they don’t do Facebook or Twitter, but you see them tweeting on a regular basis. They believe that admitting to being a heavy user of social media is like admitting to an addiction and therefore deny its existence. Deniers also tend to be quite private, so even though they may have their profiles public with all their information available for viewing, they will still vehemently deny that they look at other people’s profiles, let alone care what other people post on theirs.
The Ultras
Ultras are celebrities, in that they are the most-followed and most-following people on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. With their endless connections to people who aren’t necessarily friends or family members but feel familiar, Ultras can seem to be at the center of everything that happens online—or at least happenings about which they care. The Ultras have been instrumental in raising awareness for political causes, creating and sharing viral content for entertainment purposes, participating in movements like Occupy Wall Street and becoming fixtures on sites like Reddit.
The Virgins
These are the people who have neither the time nor inclination to micro-manage their online image. They use social media, but they don’t really understand it, and they don’t get why some people spend so long posting and tweeting. They’re idealistic, believing that anyone can be trusted until they’re given a reason not to trust that person. They still see social media as a place where anything goes.
The Dippers
Dippers are the most common social media users – but you can tell from their muted presence online that they’re also the least interested in it. They use platforms like Facebook (often their only social network) to keep in touch with people they would probably lose contact with otherwise: old school friends, extended family members, or ex-colleagues who are now based on the other side of the world.
The Peacocks
You’ve no doubt come across them already; the people who love to show off, post pictures of themselves in the gym, at a party, on holiday – you name it. They’re the ones who share all their life events, the good and the bad. They are the first to share their good news (and probably also have plenty of bad news to share) and they are often over-the-top – they’ll tweet/snapchat/post/instagram as if their lives depended on it.
The Ranters
They post mean-spirited, negative or abusive comments. They post angry or hurtful things about themselves. Ranters are people who rant about politics and social issues. They rant about work, family, friends or partners. They rant about their health, fitness or body image. Ranters also rant about finances.
The Changelings
These are the people who have multiple profiles on different social networks. They will have a different name for each site, and probably even different avatars, because they don’t want to mix their various circles of friends together. Sometimes this is because they’re worried about the publicity of certain things getting out beyond one set of people – if you’re well-known (or if you’re paranoid), separate accounts might be a smart move. Often, though, it’s just a matter of convenience: not everyone wants all their friends to know that they’re in several groups or groups on Facebook.
The Ghosts
You know the ghosts. They don’t post much, if at all, but you regularly see their names in your friends’ comment sections. Presumably they’re still alive and well, just not on social media that much. Maybe they had an account before it was cool and now have moved on to more sophisticated pastures in real life, or maybe they’ve simply given up the habit—but they’re still technically there, so you can’t unfriend them. The ghosts are often older, but may also be internet-savvy teens who prefer to use social media as a tool rather than a lifestyle.
The Informers
The Informers are not on social media for any purpose other than to be the first to tell their friends about something. They want to be the person their friends turn to for the latest news, so they’re constantly sharing articles and links to the hottest new things.
The Quizzers
If someone was quizzing you on what it’s like to be a social media personality, you’d be The Quizzer. You’re the person who creates and engages with quizzes on a regular basis. It may take the form of serious personality tests or random fun facts about your favorite subjects. Either way, this is your thing and you love it. This can also be done in video format for those who prefer images or motion over text.
The Approval seekers
You recognize the Approval Seekers from a mile away. They’re the ones constantly posting “selfies”—you know, those annoying photos that people take of themselves with a smartphone and then upload to social media sites—and asking for likes. They overuse hashtags and make inane comments on celebrity posts with the hope of being noticed.
