Last week, I got an e-mail from an old university friend who asked if he could include some photos on a new Facebook Page he was creating.
My immediate reaction was “no” because I think there are parts of your life that don’t need exist on the Web. This is particularly the case for a period of time in which I did lots of crazy and stupid things – nothing that terrible but, nevertheless, a part of my life in which I’m glad that happened without the presence of social media in which everything you do is easily published to the world.
After my friend said he had already posted photos that included me within group photos, I made it clear I didn’t not want photos of me on Facebook that would show me in a less than flattering light. While this may seem extreme to many people, it’s my philosophical approach to Facebook and social media.
Given we’re talking about photos taken in the 1980s, it raises the ethical question about whether they are off-bound when it comes to social media. They were taken before social media was around so there rules of engagement were different because there was no thought they would be published in a public forum.
So it begs the question about whether they should be posted without someone’s permission. I’ll give my friend points for at least asking me before he posted photos of me but it still doesn’t make me feel terribly comfortable.
