I love social media. I’m on Facebook, twitter, Instagram, telegram, WhatsApp, and literally actively participate in conversations on all these platforms. In fact, I respond to my LinkedIn messages instantaneously. I mean, who even bothers to check LinkedIn, save for when they see an email requesting for their approval.
Apart from talking to God and thanking him for the wonderful night, WhatsApp is the other thing I do as soon as I open my eyes; then Facebook for a weather update.
Let’s just say, I love to be in touch with my people. I share my pictures once in a while, and I rant a lot… I love to see people like, comment and share my posts. When you visit my Facebook profile, you will know that I used a taxi and had an argument with the taxi conductor, that I got stuck somewhere in the middle of the night. Yes, I am one of those people.
And I always looked forward to the day I get a child, so I can write their story daily and share a photo a day on average.
I dreamt of the day I would hold a baby in my hands, in the labour room and post a photo on Whatsapp status, for people to congratulate me and send all the love emojis… It was my dream and my plan.
But then something life changing happened! A friend of mine gave birth to a not so nice looking baby, and posted the photo on a certain Facebook page with the caption; “Hey people, my little sunshine made a month today. She is so pretty, please congratulate us.” Of course, being a photo of a baby, most of the comments were sweet. I’m sure the mother got convinced after that post that the baby was really beautiful… Then came this heartless soul. God forgive you. I mean, who reacts like that to a baby’s photo… poor innocent thing.! The person wrote; “I have been looking at this photo from the moment it was posted, but I don’t understand why people are not being honest with themselves. This baby is not pretty. The mother should just keep her out of social media.” Then I received a message from a friend in our circles, asking why ‘gundi’ posted her baby’s picture on Facebook, “yet she doesn’t look that good.”
Parents all over the world put their children on Facebook, some even create accounts for their babies as soon as they are born. I understand that it is the easiest way to share our babies’ pictures with friends and family, and with the increasing brain drain, most of the people we care about are abroad, and that is how we connect with them, but then, is it worth it?
On my part, I do not want my children on social media, until they are old enough to make that decision on their own… I don’t know what effect that will have in the long run, so I would rather keep away…
