For those who know me have heard me say at least once, if not twice “If it wasn’t for the business pages I run, I wouldn’t be on social media..” I have a love/hate relationship with social media. My Facebook account is sealed tight and I check the privacy settings frequently. I don’t expose my daughter on Facebook with photos and videos. I need to draw a line some where with a level of privacy.
I remember the days when Instagram was for photographers. I was getting into photography at the time and used it as references to help me with photoshoot ideas, editing styles, and to connect with other photographers. I am not sure if Instagram is still used like that, since almost everyone in todays world has an instagram account.
Yesterday, I was shocked to learn that someone I worked with 7 plus years ago blocked me after I sent her a message congratulating her for having a baby and was curious to know what named they settled with. (A few weeks ago she posted as a story about 10 names and was trying to narrow it down and it caught my attention). I went on her page and the page was blank. I thought maybe they decided to take a break until I checked on another account and that was when I realized I was blocked. Why block someone when they can jump on another account and look at your page – if you don’t want certain people to see, then change your privacy settings. Its what its there for.
When did Instagram go from being a reference for photographers to what it currently is with influencers and bloggers? I have a few influencers I follow, one I follow because are on the same wave length with a few things, the other is she is local and is always having her face in the camera. Today, Instagram is used to showcase who you are behind the scenes.
For me, Facebook is far worse then Instagram. If it wasn’t for the pages I run, I would get rid of Facebook. What I see on a daily basis over the years, and have hidden from my news feed from political arguments, children in their underwear, and the constant bragging of what they have. Since when do we expose our children in a social atmosphere or get into political debates with people we don’t know. Is this our new normal to today’s society? With Facebook being an open forum can we hide our digital footprints and continue with our regular lives? Is social media really private? Some get mad and angry when you look them up, but Facebook really is a digital phone book into our current lives.
Do we live in a society where our social media accounts have become our personal “safe space” but with all the wrong platform settings our lives are still thrown out into the inter webs for the entire world to see.