By MELLY LING
alltherage@thestar.com.my

JUST over a month ago, world-famous American YouTuber Ryan Higa, better known as Niga Higa, posted a video titled “Most Annoying People On The Internet”, now better known simply as “MAPOTI”.

The video, with close to six million hits now, talks about people like ninja boasters, over-zealous hashtaggers, trolls and many more. Not sure what those are? Well trust us, they’re annoying.

These days, it’s not just about people who type rude or annoying messages on chatrooms any more. According to digital media and culture consultant Niki Cheong, there are many different platforms on the Internet now, each with its own set of user behaviours (translation: each with its own set of MAPOTI).

It’s no different among Malaysian social media users, some of the most prolific in the world. Here’s a list we compiled of some of the trends on social media now that have been annoying Malaysians.

#Too #many #hashtags

How many times have you seen an Instagram photo with like an essay made out of hashtags?

It’s bad enough that people over-use them, but it’s worse when they put in unrelated ones.
Malaysian YouTuber Jin Lim (of JinnyBoyTV fame) explained that the reason people do this is to get more followers and “Likes”.

For example, people are constantly searching for photos of cats. So if you put a “#cat” hashtag on your photo, your chances of someone searching and finding it are way higher – whether the photo has anything remotely related to cats or not. And if you put “#cat”, “#kitten”, “#cloud” and “#sexy” on the same photo, well, you’ll be very well “Liked” in no time.

“Hashtags are annoying in general, unless they are used to send a message and not just to get more likes,” said Jin.

Lim LiXian, 22, Mass Comm Student

Mass communications student and avid Instagram user Lim Li Xian, 22, however, disagrees.

“I think they’re part of the fun of Instagram,” she said, never mind that they automatically appear on a lot of Facebook timelines too, where they are completely redundant.
Ninja boasters

We’re sure many of you have seen photos of people showing off their fabulous lifestyles – party photos, branded goods, flashy cars, etc. – and pretending that they’re just regular posts. They go like, “Today is a beautiful day! Happy Sunday! #ootd #pretty #chanelbag”, and the Chanel bag just happens to be the focus of the photo.

Harmini Asokumar, 24, Founder of Deeper than Fashion

That act is called a “ninja boast”, something which accessory designer Harmini Asokumar (right), 24, does regularly, but only because of her job. She often posts photos of her outfits and hashtags the different brands she’s wearing, and people have complained to her that it comes off as pretentious.

“It really doesn’t make a difference to me. If I was a celebrity like Beyonce Instagram-ing about shopping in London, nobody would say I’m showing off. I guess it’s all subjective,” she said.

Super selfies

Everyone on social media would have some friends who keep bombarding people with photos of themselves, usually shot by themselves and at the most flattering angle possible. These annoying photos are called “selfies”.

Shaiful Ayisy, 24, Deputy Creative Director

Creative director Shaiful Ayisy said selfies are now unavoidable on social media. Like ‘em or not, you’ll just have to deal with them.

“Some selfies are okay provided the subject is good looking,” he said jokingly. “It’s more annoying when their captions are unrelated.” For example, a photo of a girl pouting at the camera, along with the caption “When life gives you lemons…”. #Annoying.

But Ayisy said as much as these people annoy him, he wouldn’t unfollow them, because god forbid it might hurt some of their feelings.

Stephanie Koh, 22, Sales Executive

Sales Executive Stephanie Koh, on the other hand, thinks taking selfies is just some harmless fun and she enjoys them.

“What’s wrong with taking selfies? There’s nothing dangerous about it. I am a girl after all so there’s nothing wrong about expressing my vanity through a photo,” said Koh, who uses Instagram to not only source for fashion inspiration but to also keep up with her friends on the application.

Foodie fanatics

The ultimate Malaysian Internet sin – taking photos of your food. It’s alright if you’re about to tuck into some spectacular dish that you think is worth a share.

Ian Loh, 25, Writer

But doing it for like every other meal? That’s annoying!

Foodie shots on social media really irritates writer Ian Loh, 25, and it’s not because he hates food – it’s because they appear way too often on his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram newsfeeds.

“Nobody cares what you’re eating. Especially when you’re posting a picture of very, very expensive meal, it actually seems kind of snobbish,” said Loh.

Brand executive Danny New is fully aware how people like Loh feel, but he still enjoys posting foodie photos.

Danny New, 23, Brand Executive

“I don’t really care much because it’s up to me what I want to post,“ said New, 24. “I have a few other foodie friends who appreciate food-related post. It’s a good way to share about new places to eat.”

Terrible trolls

This is something most bloggers and YouTubers are familiar with. There will always be people out there who have nothing better to do but post ugly, hateful comments. These people are commonly known as trolls.

Charis enjoys posting up photo of her outfit just so she can plan on her coordinates for the day.

With these people, it’s never a matter of fair comment or constructive criticism. It’s just abusive messages, something we’re seeing more of now that the general election is near.

For Ow, getting trolled comes with the territory of being a YouTube personality.

Although at most times she receives positive feedback from her fans, there are also times when she gets horrible comments. “Well, I actually appreciate constructive criticisms, but not hate comments,” said the bubbly positive Ow that she doesn’t bother much about it now.

She also added, “I just reply politely and thank them for their feedback, tell them I’ll try to improve.”