Can Not Directly Replying To Vagueposts Be Normalized?

In a perfect world, direct communication would solve every problem in existence. People would be able to easily hash out their issues simply by having civil conversations instead of being forced to use more confrontational methods.

Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world. There are those out there who either do heinous things, refuse to communicate in a healthy manner, or both.

When these sorts of debacles occur in the online sphere, users will sometimes go public about dealing with others’ wrongdoings. They have two main options for this: name the wrongdoer publicly - or use a vaguepost to sneakily shame them.

If you’re not immersed in Internet culture and don’t know what I’m talking about, a vaguepost is a social media post that talks about someone and/or something without attempting to directly implicate anyone or anything. Typically, vagueposts center around heated situations and conflicts - although they might not be intended for their subjects to reply to.

By their very nature, vagueposts do sometimes trigger their subjects (or people who think they’re being talked about) into giving responses. However, there are frequently vagueposts out there which don’t directly demand a response. Even if they do, sometimes it’s rather unclear who they’re being addressed to.

It can be tempting to respond to a vaguepost that seems to be directed at you. But there’s a good chance that this is not a great idea. Here’s why.

It Might Not Be About You

Spoiler alert: You are not the center of the universe. I’m sorry to say it, but it’s true.

People do have lives outside of your own social circles. They have loved ones, friends, family, and fallouts that you could very well have zero personal knowledge of, let alone relationships with.

Even if you were close with someone in the past, that doesn’t mean you know everything about them. Regardless of if they kept secrets around you or not, the fact of the matter is that certain things don’t always find a way to slip into conversations.

You’re probably not in on your older sister's drama with her casino buddies if you have no interest in such social settings and she doesn’t want to bore you with that kind of information. Likewise, your online mutual may very well have hobbies and interests in high-octane communities they haven’t bothered to mention to you.

So TLDR: no, you’re not as important as you might think or feel you are. The sooner you realize that, the better for your prospects of engaging with vagueposts.

Be Grateful That It’s Vague

Let’s say, by some odd chance, that you managed to encounter a vaguepost which is likely or near-certainly about you. Perhaps it brings up specific dates and times that aren’t known to the public or alludes to particular communities.

If there are enough details provided by the post for all parties involved to know what’s being mentioned and there’s an obvious expectation that you respond, you could be able to work out a solution.

However, the fact of the matter when the above things don’t happen is that you’ve effectively been given a chance to not have your image heavily tarnished. Without a name to point to, fewer people will have the incentive to come down on you. Sure, some may still get suspicious. But at the end of the day, there probably won’t be as much backlash as there could have been.

You’ve already dodged a massive bullet. Why get someone to pull the trigger now?

…

Vagueposts with oddly familiar content can be rather unsettling. Ultimately, though, it’s better to use reason than to respond with a poorly thought out direct response to something that might worsen the situation mentioned there.

Any other thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments!

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