Monday 4 March 2024

A Horrible Word

 ............Sharenting.

I heard this for the first time last week but it seems to have been around for more than 10 years. It is a word for parents that share Everything about their children on social media - usually for payment in some way.

More recently other people have been stealing the photos, changing them - perhaps putting bodies on other faces or vice versa and republishing in other places - including websites that most people Don't look at.

Apparently when children get old enough to object the parents tell them that without posting online the family will starve as it's their main income!

This all sounds like a very good reason for not putting photos of grandchildren on the blog. I don't do this very often but perhaps even once a year is too much. I also don't mention names now - sad that it's necessary.


As I'm really short on adventures and ideas for blog posts this week, I may miss a day or two or my posts will be about nothing very interesting.


Back Tomorrow
Sue 

29 comments:

  1. Just your every day thoughts and doings are fine....don't always have to be exciting. Jan

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  2. I agree. Life is also about the less exciting moments and yours is always different to mine and therefore an interesting read. But you are allowed a day off (or two) ! Anne in Lancashire

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  3. Hi, recently a friend of mine was concerned that pictures of her grandchildren (7 & 1) were posted daily on Instagram by her daughter in law & she spent nearly all day on her phone . I looked at her public (not private) account & she posts everything - walking to school, mealtimes, bedtime story, holidays & even a few bath times! - plus a huge essay about how wonderful her life is ( it must take ages everyday to compile) I mentioned it to my 20year old, internet savvy daughter, & she told me it was all part of a pyramid scheme. We looked at other accounts that had commented on hers & they were all vertually identical. Apparently they are encouraged to show their amazing life & the couple of hours a day it takes to achieve it - by promoting products online. They then give details of a course you can pay to take to tell you how! It doesn’t look like she actually promotes any products just the course. I am hoping she is naive & has been dragged in to the scam but I don’t think anyone is that naive! My friend worries about everything - I don’t think I can tell her what I have found out..I don’t understand why a mother would exploit her children like that. Glenda

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  4. I have put very few pictures of my children on social media ever since I heard of child porn websites stealing pictures from Facebook accounts and using them for their own perverted ways.

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  5. I agree about your comment about not putting pictures of children and perhaps yourselves on the internet. I'm amazed at how many seemingly sensible people post pictures of their grandchildren. Until recently I worked in a secondary school where we were advised to be extremely cautious with Facebook and other sites. Pictures and profiles can be altered and sent all over the place.

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  6. It is a real shame one has to consider that nowadays.

    I always find your posts interesting, the out and about ones and the what I did at home ones. Just sayin'! ;-)
    xx

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  7. I echo Joy's comment. Although I don't often comment I do read your blog every day.

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  8. I asked before I posted a photo of "I" recently, but shan't post any more, although her mum has her on her FB page. Horrid to think of the exploitation in a sexual way, and it seems that some mothers are drawn in purely for money - not a good idea. It's like these details scam on FB where they want your childrens' names and birth details etc. Sadly the not very bright get drawn in easily.

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  9. My nephew and his wife had a baby last year. My sister wasn't 'allowed' to see the baby (her first grandchild) until she was a week old as they wanted their privacy. Fair enough but they quickly went on to post loads of photos of her every single day all over social media. Every aspect of her life is online. And her mum is a lawyer!! It's def a Gen Z thing!!!

    Post as often or little as you like. You shouldn't feel obliged to blog daily. I just like reading about other people's lives. I always find that interesting :-) xxx

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  10. I always show Will any photo's I take of him, and then ask if I can post on my blog, if he say's no, I respect his wishes. Mummy has had offers for George to be a brand endorser, but she always refuses, he is her son, not an income, a friend of hers son has been used since birth, and his image is everywhere.

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  11. Post as often or as seldom as you wish-I appreciate the time you take to share your life and thoughts with us. Catriona

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  12. Horrible word for a horrible practice. Our grandchildren are occasionally shared on social media by their parents, but would prefer they weren’t.

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  13. I think it is probably a blessing that I have forgotten how to put photographs on my posts!!

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  14. What an awful word.
    I echo the comments above. It's your blog and you can please yourself.

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  15. Life is for living. A blog is really just for fun (and then only when it fits in with what you want to do) your circle of bloggy friends will still be here.
    Sparkling sunshine here today, a real pleasure after all those days of rain.

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  16. I quite like your “uninteresting” blog posts! Sharenting is a new one for me. I don’t understand why people post everything on line. I have friends who always have their phones on the table. I am not against smart phones or technology but they always have their phones on the table during a meal.

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  17. Sue what makes your Blog special to me is the everyday chat about coffees and a cheese scone or swimming and just that normal daily activity which feels to read just like a cosy chat from a blogger friend and that's just what I love about your Blog. As it's your Blog please only just publish whenever it suits and we understand that nobody wants to necessarily chat Every day so take some time for You for awhile :)

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  18. Like JayCee i read your blog every day and for the reasons Tuliika describes.

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  19. I have never heard the word 'sharenting' before now, a new one ... that I shall never use again ... for my mental dictionary.

    The few times that I used to share photos of my grandchildren on their birthdays or some such back in the day of my old blog ONLitC, it was always with my son's permission. Now that they are teenagers I wouldn't dream of showing photos of them, although they do on their own accounts.

    Blog as often as you like Sue, after all it's your blog, we'll all still be reading along when you do. I have gone down to 3 or 4 posts a week maximum on my new blog, usually on alternating days. This is working out much better for me as this way I can monitor if I have said too much, especially about our lives, on the day in between and edit if necessary. Now my photos are mostly food, books and the animals, possibly very boring to lots of folk. :-)

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  20. Previous comments have expressed very well how I feel about your blog, and yes, of course, it's yours to do what you like with 😀
    The S word - what a strange and sometimes worrying world we live in, although I realise I'm showing my age saying that ..........x
    Alison in Wales x

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  21. Some of the changes in this world--just since your shareholding days--are downright scary, Sue! Whatever you write, I'll continue to read. It's always nice to pop in here with my morning coffee. I very rarely comment, but continue to read. Thank you for keeping on going!
    --Elise (formerly on CA's central coast, now retired to the AZ mountains)

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  22. I have a Facebook page but I haven't filled in any information about myself beyond date of birth which I pulled out of the hat as 31st December 1905.
    Facebook now wishes me a Happy Birthday every year on 31st December in spite of my now being 118 yrs old!

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  23. If I include grandkids on a blog I've smudged their face. Sharing too much personal information is definitely not wise.

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  24. Thats so awful, what are some people like. I am always amazed as to what people post on FB

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  25. It is awful how photos can get criminalized today. That said, why any parent would choose to use their child's photo to that end seems criminal and heartless.

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  26. Life isn't always exciting and I love hearing about the day to day life of other bloggers. However since I don't have grandchildren (poor me) I have always wondered what could happen to photos of underage children when posted.

    God bless.

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  27. My daughter and son-in-law have only chosen limited social media posts regarding granddaughter and have requested that others put up none. I think it's a good idea. I'm only posting hands and feet and non-recognisable parts of baby. They have created a family-only album on Google Photos that requires an invite and post photos of Baby A for us all to see. It's a wonderful idea and we all get to see and comment on lots of photos without anyone else seeing them.

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  28. I don't put photos of grandchildren on here. Daughter doesn't do F.B. anyway, but soon to be daughter in law is always putting pictures of granddaughter on F.B. (and clips). It is not for me, but I know my place!

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