We've all said regrettable things we wish we we could take back. In today's fast-paced, social media-driven world, it's especially easy to post unforgivably harsh words or tweet anger in haste.
If you want to get better at keeping your social feeds nice and clean, Katy Perry, of all people, has your back with a failsafe system for online etiquette. Her trick? Get angry and write out your well-crafted diss. Just don't hit send.
Celebrities are certainly not immune to putting their feet in their mouths. In fact, stars may have it the hardest when it comes to speaking (or tweeting) before thinking: Their social feeds are constantly picked apart and analyzed by the public, and one rage-fueled opinion can permanently taint a reputation. Take the recent Twitter beef between Kim Kardashian's husband Kanye West and rapper Whiz Khalifa: One of West's mid-feud tweets made a reference to Khalifa's toddler son, and much later, after deleting his tweets, West issued what appeared to be a statement of regret for "speak[ing] on kids."
In the aftermath of this gripping Internet saga, The New York Times queried Perry about her social media practices, asking, "Do you ever have to hold yourself back on Twitter?" Perry's response couldn't have been better. She told the Times:
I do this thing where I just save as draft. Save as draft and sleep — and then wake up and go, “Nah.” It’s not worth it, you know? Or I just book my therapist.
For Perry, the old adage "sleep on it" really carries some weight. Her decision to wait for morning echoes expert advice to avoid making rash decisions when angry. Saving a tweet in draft gives Perry the chance to cool down and contemplate whether posting fighting words is worth the potential consequences.
Even more, the act of sleeping will help make decisions with a clear head. A 2011 study from Duke University Center found that people who are sleep-deprived make risky decisions based on too much optimism. In the case of social media, we might tweet our anger in an unfounded hope that the words will make a difference or change someone's mind. Sleep, on the other hand, provides clarity.
Perry's shout-out to therapy doesn't go unnoticed either: A therapist can help you see a new perspective and dissect a problem. A social media follower, on the other hand, is more likely to egg you on.
Ms. Perry could teach all of us -- civilians and celebs alike -- about good social media behavior. Her straightforward wisdom alone makes us want to follow her on Twitter. Namaste, Katy. Namaste.