Making it public vs. keeping it private. Let’s face it… photo sharing in public spaces online can be dangerous.
Like that framed 7th grade school picture where you had that awesome (awful!) haircut sitting on your mom’s mantle piece. Or that cute photo of you and your cousin in the bath as babies where all of your bits are exposed. Then there’s that incriminating shot of you at the bottom of a shoe box doing you know what with you know who that you hope your boss never ever sees!
All of a sudden, these photos and more have somehow surfaced and made their way onto public social media. Acquaintances and co-workers now have an intimate view into a part of your life that should have been left private.
It’s a recipe for disaster if you think about it: all of the people in your life (the good the bad and the ugly!) just a click away from your mom, your employer, your ex-boyfriend, even your kids! Sure there are filters and terms and conditions, but in reality, it’s a dangerous game we are all playing when it comes to sharing private moments in a public space. Most of us are becoming increasingly wary of the privacy of our personal lives and are starting to step away from sharing with everyone.
Whether you’ve recently culled your friend list, been born again by creating an alias or just deleted your profile all together, most of us seem to be moving towards more private alternatives for sharing.
If you have family on social media, you’ve likely fallen victim to an embarrassing post that you really wish had been kept in the family. It’s part of the growing process for all ages learning to use this technology. I mean, nobody has written a rulebook or a code of ethics for what is appropriate and what’s not when it comes to posting. We are relying on each other to set the precedent for what’s acceptable and be responsible digital citizens online. The bottom line is that public social media can be an unforgiving jackass if not treated with respect and it’s up to us to change that.
As a new mum, I have made a conscious choice not to share many of pictures of my little one on public social media. While I don’t share many photos on the public platforms, I will admit that if there is a photo or two that I find especially yummy that I will post it…and LOVE getting the feedback about how cute my kid is. That said, I still have a gagillion photos that I want to send to the people in my family, and some of them would be completely inappropriate for public social media. Even though I feel like I have culled my friend list down to a selected couple of hundred over the years, I really don’t think they need to see ALL of those photos (“friends”, you’re welcome!). My immediate family, however, want to see every single one. In fact, they can’t get enough! Enter kin2kin stage left…
I’ve found kin2kin to be a great way to share AS MANY photos (embarrassing as they may be in 20 years time!) of my little one as I want in a fast, easy and organized way. I really enjoy seeing all of my family comment on and love the photos and I can rest assured knowing that they aren’t missing out if they aren’t on public social media. I love knowing that when my daughter is old enough to enter the cyber world, she can view these photos and comments from her family members in a safe, private place online. Plus, I feel like a good “friend” not spamming the hundred plus people in my friend lists with photo upon photo of my baby girl. I also think it’s kind of nice to let my child decide whether they would like all of their photos out there for the world to see as they get older… but that’s just me.
As we move forward in the digital age, a person’s digital footprint can be extremely important to their future, so I say why not let them decide what they’d like it to look like? It’s all about being considerate when it comes to sharing in a public space. Especially with the ones you love. They’ll thank you for it later!
