18 Apr 2010

How much should you share online?

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Last night I posted a comment online that might be controversial. My remarks were in response to an old school friend’s Facebook share of a video of him dancing with his four year-old son.

Everyday health

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Last night I posted a comment online that might be controversial. My remarks were in response to an old school friend’s Facebook share of a video of him dancing with his four year-old son.

Nothing bad about that, right?

Well not on the surface but the issue I had with the vision is the star of the show – a beaming young boy, is not wearing a single piece of clothing.

Nudity itself is not offensive but sharing a video of a naked small child online is, in my book, a different ball game. If I knew for certain that only the posters’ trusted friends would look at the vision maybe that’s fine but that’s not the case.

Social media and the internet can be a dangerous place - all types of people lurk there. So as diplomatically as possible I posted a comment asking my friend to think, perhaps, about removing the video.

Was it my place to say anything? I'm not sure.

I do know I felt strongly about what I saw - so much so that looking at it brought me to tears.
I am not in close contact with the poster so commenting was the most direct form of communication I had.

As a response my friend swiftly de-friended me. Ouch. Not a response I guess I am altogether surprised about - it’s a sensitive issue and perhaps he thought I was judging him. I wasn’t. I’ve posted carelessly myself – most parents/people have.

Regardless, if it gets him (and anyone else that may have read what I said) to think twice about the content of posts, particularly when it comes to children, I am fine with losing a friend.

Maybe I am taking the moral high ground here but it surprises me that with everything we know today people still over share online. I am sure in general people do so with only good intentions but that won’t help if such content lands in the wrong hands. Sad I know but isn’t it better to be safe rather than sorry?

What do you think? How mindful are you about what you post about children on social media and the like?

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