Comments on: Over-sharing?

By: Olivia

Olivia — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:07:59 +0000

Another killjoy feeling conflicted here. Glad to hear others thinking about this — sometimes I can’t tell if I’m just being paranoid when I decline to have pictures of myself identified online. It will be interesting to see if there is backlash by children whose parents are publicly documenting their lives online right now. The newest generation may not find it very cool…

By: GeekChic

GeekChic — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:59:01 +0000

I’d like to thank both CW and Daniel for being thoughtful photographers and posters. This private person appreciates the effort.

And Walt, you may very well have a point about my not being a minority. Even if you don’t, I’ll go with it because it makes me feel better…

By: CW

CW — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:53:48 +0000

I consider it the height of rudeness to post a photo of someone publically without their permission. I love Flickr and have used it for some years, but my photostream has very few public pictures of people in it, and I have their permission to make them public. I am also a bit careful about posting pictures of children – not because of any worry about paedophiles necessarily, but because I don’t think the children can give me informed permission, even if their parents do. (I do wonder at all those blogs by doting parents detailing their child’s every development. Will your child thank you for it when they start school?)

By: walt

walt — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:37:42 +0000

Daniel: And I’m pretty sure you’re not part of the problem.

Part of the problem is time lag–as in the editorial itself: Pictures that were taken years ago, specifically years before Flickr and Facebook made offhand photosharing so common.

By: Daniel Cornwall

Daniel Cornwall — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:17:36 +0000

I might be a member of a different minority. I’m a pretty avid amateur photographer, but I never take pictures of people unless:

- It’s a crowd photo and people are not personally identifiable.
- They’re in the landscape and in my view can’t be personally identified.
- I am specifically asked to.

There might be a few exceptions on my Flickr account, but they are entirely inadvertent.

By: walt

walt — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:29:19 +0000

GeekChic: I’m not sure you’re in the minority. Actually, I strongly suspect that you’re not, but that over-sharers are both much more visible on this issue and inclined to believe that theirs is the only reasonable stance.

I encountered some of danah boyd’s excellent thinking that relates to this topic–about the difference between Public and Publicized. (She was referring to Facebook issues, but it’s the same principle, I think.) Read the July C&I–coming later this week–for details.

And no, there is nothing wrong with wishing to be a private person.

By: GeekChic

GeekChic — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:14:35 +0000

Count me as a killjoy on this topic too – though I’m not as polite as you. I refuse to allow my picture to be taken and am quite firm about why (my image, my choice – not yours). My picture isn’t in my employer’s staff directory – it sure as heck isn’t going to be on someone’s Facebook page (or anywhere else for that matter)!

I also don’t fully understand the need to over-share but I understand that I’m in the minority on this topic. What I do resent is the implication that there is somehow something “wrong” with me for wishing to be a private person.

By: Angel

Angel — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:09:31 +0000

Given that I am not the most social person–I don’t attend parties with any regularity, rarely if ever go something like a social/party at a conference, etc.– the likelihood of anybody snapping a picture of me is pretty slim. Family is the only folk I have to worry about, and there I make sure I temper the behavior, since I know at least one member who loves to snap that camera around and post it to FB a bit much. I don’t give her much to work from, so to speak. If it makes me a killjoy, so be it. But better than having lord knows what crop up someplace where certain folk can see it. Overall, I have observed that often, in the end, what gets people in trouble is not pictures they post themselves. It’s what their “friends” post, usually without thinking.

Best, and keep on blogging.