March 10, 2017

Remember, kids — if your mom posts a photograph of you sleeping, you get to post a photograph of her sleeping.

That's my reaction to "'He's a laugh!': Victoria Beckham pokes fun at her son Brooklyn as she posts playful photo of him sleeping on social media" (in The Daily Mail).

The boy is 18 years old, by the way, not a baby or toddler.

What are the social media ethics between parents (or grandparents) and children? Isn't consent always required? Whose personal "branding" counts? I would think the person in the image has the greatest interest in image control and the photographer is wrong to interpose her own sense that the child is part of her brand.* Other people are not your handbags and chihuahuas.

A photo of someone sleeping flaunts the lack of participation by the subject. If you really were sensibly concerned with your own image — instead of egoistically presumptuous — you'd make it clear when your share sleeping-person photos that the subject of the photo has seen it and expressed happiness with the idea of your sharing it.

_______________________

* Feminine pronoun not intended to imply that a man can't commit this offense or deserves any ore leeway when he does.

23 comments:

Fernandinande said...

Victoria Beckham = ??

I think the purpose of the photo was to show-off the $6,000 camera with built-in status signaling.

richlb said...

I have posted a photo of my wife sleeping to Facebook before (just to show her enjoying a lazy summer Sunday) and she freaked. I learned not to do that again.

Bob Ellison said...

"ore leeway": Trumpism!

Freeman Hunt said...

The watch, the camera, the clothes. I think Fernandinande is right.

Ignorance is Bliss said...


* Feminine pronoun not intended to imply that a man can't commit this offense or deserves any ore leeway when he does.

Okay, what about:

Other people are not your handbags and chihuahuas.?

Surely that was intended to imply that this is a female offense, right?

rehajm said...

Yeah - product placement as not product placement.

Not being critical. Now a legit career. Just let the lad in on the action.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

I know my mom took the typical baby in the bath picture of me when I was a baby, and showed it to her friends/relatives.

Next time Mom's in the bath, it's going on facebook!

Chuck said...

Good lord; looking at that page from the Daily Mail online... Half the stories are about "celebrities" on social media. Tweets, Instagrams, etc.

Is Victoria Beckham's son a celebrity? Are any of these people celebrities? Are they celebrities, by virtue of continually oversharing their lives on social media?

I would never, ever have known about this "story" but for Althouse's having posted on it. I understand the very discrete issue she is raising; the issue of consent in intra-family uses of social media that goes outside of families. I agree with what I think is Althouse's judgment of the issue.

But the larger issue that alternately horrifies me and mystifies me is the popular appetite for worthless "celebrity."

MayBee said...

I think their social media accounts are very carefully cultivated.

Fernandinande said...

Freeman Hunt said...
I think Fernandinande is right.


Now *that* is a rare sentence! Possibly unique.

Kate said...

I once got into an argument on ricochet with a woman who felt comfortable sharing personal photos and info about her children on facebook. I quickly realized that as an extrovert, she had none of the issues that I, a psychotic introvert, had about privacy.

So I understand how she could be so terribly, offensively wrong about this.

policraticus said...

"She's a laugh!" Victor Beckham pokes fun at his daughter Brooklyn as he posts playful video of her sleeping on social media.

#GenderBendItLikeBeckham

Ann Althouse said...

"'Other people are not your handbags and chihuahuas?' Surely that was intended to imply that this is a female offense, right?"

Make the appropriate adjustments.

This is where I say mutatis mutandis.

For handbags and chihuahuas read Rolex watch and Tibetan mastiff.

SDaly said...

*this is why "he" should have continued as the equivalent of gender-neutral pronoun in English.

Tank said...

Tank's photograph policy: Delete unflattering pictures to protect the innocent. I don't show or post any unflattering pictures, except for Tank. I am ruthless. When in doubt, do not show/post.

Quaestor said...

SDaly beat me to it.

The non-specific he used to be understood by any reasonably literate person, rendering marginal disclaimers superfluous as well as making the language beautifully laconic.

Alas, the post-war generations have spent their time on Earth uglifying everything.

MacMacConnell said...

"For handbags and chihuahuas read Rolex watch and Tibetan mastiff." and skinny jeans, the yoga pants for men.

Quaestor said...

Victoria Beckham pokes fun at her sleeping son Brooklyn...

She poked fun at him shortly after birth by naming him Brooklyn. The sleeping photo was just one in a long series of abusive jokes at the lad's expense.

Unknown said...

Nice Leica.

Birches said...

I always ask my children before I post something about them on fb. They really appreciate it. Sometimes they say no.

Darrell said...

But the larger issue that alternately horrifies me and mystifies me is the popular appetite for worthless "celebrity."

Or worthless lifelong republicans.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Who names their kid Brooklyn, and isn't that a girl's name?

Gospace said...

I posted a picture of my wife zonked out on the couch after our Thanksgiving feast, with the dog zonked out on her lap. He's not a lap dog, though he thinks he is. She didn't care. Neither did the dog. Friends and family all liked the photo.

If they're close enough to you, you should know whether or not they care about photo posting. Post accordingly. If you don't know, don't post.