I always have this inner struggle about my online presence. I have so much to say, so many thoughts, and sometimes it is nice to send them out into the world. I very rarely have any comments, or feedback, on what I share on here. And that is ok with me.
But then there is the flip side: I am super private. I like to keep my family to myself. And I specifically don't like to post many/any photos of my son online.
I was recently asked why, if it was intentional. Yes, of course it is. I used to be an over sharer. At one stage I was posting a new photo album daily (when I first moved to Singapore and I wanted to share my journey with my friends at home).
Even when Levi was first born, I happily posted photos willy nilly.
But then I began to think more deeply about the whole thing. I know that I would not like my online presence to be decided for me. I would not like to have a 'personality' assumed about me based on what people saw of me online.
I feel a little bit sorry for kids these days. They will grow up 'famous' even if in just a smaller circle. All the adults in their lives will have an opinion about who they are, their character and personhood, sometimes without even having seen them in real life.
I get the 'proud parent' thing. My word! I am so incredibly proud of my son. I would love to tell the world about his every little milestone, and I would expect you all to be as impressed and enthralled as I am. But at what cost?
In addition to this, there is the very real risk of online predators. I don't think it is paranoid to be aware of this and to minimise as much potential risk as possible.
And then last of all, as I said in a previous post, I am mindful of what I am modeling to my son. Do I want to lead him to be as addicted as I am, as every adult in his life that he will ever know is? As much as I want to make healthy choices for him in terms of diet, I also want to choose well for him regarding technology.
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