Mass Taggers Are Assholes — We Know What You’re Doing
And quite frankly, we’re pissed off about it.
I’m sorry for calling you an asshole if you’re a serial mass tagger. I’m Canadian, we have to apologize. But it is assholy behavior. So I’m only half ‘sorry’ I suppose.
I, like many of you reading this, feel an immense sense of joy and excitement when I get a notification that I’ve been tagged in someone’s Medium article. Someone loves me — someone really loves me!
‘Ooh — I got tagged in someone’s post! I can’t wait to read what they included me in. Did they quote one of my stories? Did they learn something from little ole me?’
No. They just mass-tagged you. You’re not special at all (at least not in this scenario). Maybe they didn’t know that so many people hate this. But oftentimes…they just wanted to get you to open their article. And you have to scroll all the way through their article to where they mass-tagged you at the bottom— so that they get a read out of you.
If the tricked-into-reading tag wasn’t egregious enough, when you click on their article and read it — they’re more likely to show up in your feed moving forward. So they ‘gotcha’ twice.
Mass taggers…we know what you’re doing. And we’re sick of it. Please, stop.
It feels genuinely special to be tagged in someone’s work — but not when it’s a mass tag.
Here is one more thing that really ‘grinds my gears’ from mass tagging. If we all did it then Medium would take away this heartfelt tool that we all love so dearly. So the people doing it are abusing it to get reads, but we can’t all do it. Not that everyone wants to, because I personally don’t want to be any more of an asshole than I am.
How to Deal With Mass Taggers
Personally, I look at the level of offense. If it was a first-time offense and they clearly had a reason (that they stated) to do it, I’ll give them a pass. Or, maybe they’re new and saw someone else do it and thought it was a fun idea. But, mass tag people regularly and we’re not going to be a happy campers.
If — like me — you’re sick of the mass taggers, there are a few ways to deal with them:
1. Call Them Out
Some people have bigger internet cajones than I do, and directly call them out in the comments. To those of you who I have seen do that — kudos, I’m jealous of your internet balls. This however should probably be saved for the serial offenders.
Others go the quiet route, and send them a private note asking to not be mass tagged in the future. This seems fair.
2. Unfollow Them
People generally only mass tag their own followers. So you can just unfollow them and that will be the end of it.
3. Block Them
If politely asking and/or unfollowing them hasn’t done the trick — or you’re just so pissed off you need the internet equivalent of angrily hanging up a corded phone in the 90s — block them. They can’t tag you when they’re blocked.
So there you have it, your options. Since you’re reading this you’re either as ticked off at mass taggers as I am (I have heard so many people complain about it — that this is probably most of you), or you’re a mass tagger. If it’s the latter, please reconsider what you’re doing…or at least only do it sparingly, when it fits the situation.
I thought about what could bring me to commit such an atrocity. What would make me commit such assholery? The only scenario that came to mind was this…so I might have cancer…it’s a long story, I wrote about it here:
If I do have cancer, and treatment knocks me on my ass so hard that I have to pause writing on Medium — then upon my return I might mass-tag my core readers. Solely done to revive my account after my return from the near grave.
For perspective, that’s literally the only scenario I can personally think of where I’d do it. Just saying. Let’s all respect the tag tool, and tag each other in meaningful ways — that make people feel special, and appreciated.
