Like you, I might be as guilty as the other millions of mums (or dads), who post their kids' photos on social media. It started with Friendster. I was so happy and impressed with the idea that I can already show photos of the latest events in my life. It didn't help that Facebook came into the picture. When it came, as others put it, the rest was history! Every event, every new thing, everything...share, share, share. I think it became worse when I had my kids! As a proud mum to two beautiful children, I can't help but feel the "need" to share their achievements, craziness and a whole lot of other stuff. This until I came upon this article:
There were some powerful words that struck me as a parent and made me think about my social media habits.
Here are some:
"The problem is that Facebook is only one site. With every status update, YouTube video, and birthday blog post, Kate’s parents are preventing her from any hope of future anonymity."
"But they’re essentially robbing her of a digital adulthood that’s free of bias and presupposition. "
One of the reasons why I post their pictures on my account, aside from the one I stated above, is the fact that I want to share it too with their grandparents, uncles and aunties based in Manila. But the article made me think because it does make sense. Now, when we gather with family and friends for an occasion, my son gets surprised when people greet him for a recent award he got or for a recent event that happened at school or at home. People are starting to create an impression of my children of how they are, their attitude and behavior based on what I post on my account. And if my kids suddenly get temper tantrums or acts differently from the image they have created in their minds, our family and friends get shocked. This I think is unfair for my kids. I feel people are putting them in a box, when they are actually circles, as a result of the posts I have made. This, in addition to the effects stated in the article.
At this time, I am trying to convert. I have discussed this with my husband and he was very much agreeable to it, after all, he is one of the few who has decided not to create a Facebook account up to this very day! Will this mean no more photos posted and shared? Not really. Hubby and I agreed to continue to share family photos but no more specific albums done for the children. No more picture tags and will try my best to lessen what I'm sharing, yes that includes the status updates involving my kids. Thinking about it, some special moments at home have lost its magic because I shared them with the "whole world."
I hope it's not yet too late to start again and protect the identity of my children.
