I can't remember when it began but for a few years now, my Facebook home page has been constantly flooded with photos of babies in 50 shades of drowsiness. I love babies and I delight at friends announcing the birth of their offsprings but certain acquaintances have found it amusing to post daily photos of their newborn children when I did not. And whilst it was easy to click 'Unsubscribe', the negative experience has also prompted me to make a public declaration that when I have a child, I will not be barraging my 'Facebook friends' with baby photos and anecdotes that would be bound to annoy them.
Then I had a child and I certainly was in a dilemma.
I love photography and my baby would most naturally become my favourite subject so the question of whether to post or not to post constantly grapple me. It doesn't help when a know-it-all mother declared this plainly truthful point:
But because I now live far away from most of your family and friends, Facebook has become the most obvious way to bridge the distance and bring them closer to our life and what we have been up to. This potentially risky channel of communication allows us to feel a sense of togetherness that is difficult to experience otherwise.
So in the end I reneged on my word of honour and ended up sharing photos of the little one. I drew the line when it comes to naked photos though (certainly that is a violation of a person's right to privacy would you not agree?) and I still try my best not to put a weekly photo shoot on (does a baby's face change so dramatically every week?). My family and some friends do get access to an album of unlimited photo uploads where I get to put photos of him eating his dinner, grabbing his toy or wearing a cute outfit, images the rest of the world wouldn't care about although sometimes they still end up in my mother or sister's Facebook accounts. And occasionally, like today, I also feel the urge to post photos of my amateur photography.
P.S. Feel free to Unsubscribe or Unfriend me, I wouldn't feel offended.
Then I had a child and I certainly was in a dilemma.
I love photography and my baby would most naturally become my favourite subject so the question of whether to post or not to post constantly grapple me. It doesn't help when a know-it-all mother declared this plainly truthful point:
"Every time a parent posts a picture or recounts an anecdote about their child online, it is an invasion of privacy and a potential cause for peer embarrassment."I could't argue with that. And to add to that, we don't really know where the images of our children might end up in the cyber world and how it could be used to harm them. It's a chilling thought.
But because I now live far away from most of your family and friends, Facebook has become the most obvious way to bridge the distance and bring them closer to our life and what we have been up to. This potentially risky channel of communication allows us to feel a sense of togetherness that is difficult to experience otherwise.
So in the end I reneged on my word of honour and ended up sharing photos of the little one. I drew the line when it comes to naked photos though (certainly that is a violation of a person's right to privacy would you not agree?) and I still try my best not to put a weekly photo shoot on (does a baby's face change so dramatically every week?). My family and some friends do get access to an album of unlimited photo uploads where I get to put photos of him eating his dinner, grabbing his toy or wearing a cute outfit, images the rest of the world wouldn't care about although sometimes they still end up in my mother or sister's Facebook accounts. And occasionally, like today, I also feel the urge to post photos of my amateur photography.
P.S. Feel free to Unsubscribe or Unfriend me, I wouldn't feel offended.
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