So recently I had an acquaintance from high school add me on Facebook. This person and I weren't particularly great friends in high school, and I believe we haven't actually spoken two words to each other since the 10th grade. Regardless of this fact though, I never hesitate from doing some obligatory Facebook-creeping on their pictures and whatnot once they add me, just to see what they've been up to for the past decade or so.
And so I was browsing through her pictures and realized that lo and behold, she's had an adorable baby recently. Yet this is where the feelings of "aw, isn't that cute" turned into "ugh, that's a little creepo", when i realized that her baby was tagged in all of the pictures. Some further investigation confirmed my worst suspicions: this infant, who judging from the date of the photo album can't be any older than 6 months, has his own Facebook account.
Why is this the more than a little creepo? After the jump!
Some new parents out there may be crying foul at this statement (mainly because they too have also created Facebook accounts for their babies). But here's the thing, as much as I'm all for being able to put on your Facebook profile whatever you want, I'm also a consenting adult, and thus can look at whatever inappropriate drunken pictures, lewd comments, and overall things-you-don't-want-your-boss-or-children-to-see that I like. Children are different, and there's restrictions on things for children, including on the Internet, to shield them from the horrors of the Verne Troyer sex tape until they're old enough. Heck, you can't even get a MySpace account until you're at least 13. These babies may not be able to comprehend Facebook now, but in a few years they will (and yes, Facebook will probably still be around then), and they may not fully grasp the Naughty Toy application they way grownups can.
All of this leads me to my next point. Some may argue that creating a Facebook profile for your infant is no different than creating one for your pet (to which I am certainly guilty. All pets past and present have profiles on my Facebook). The difference is that my Bassett Hound is never going to actually create his own Facebook profile, let alone comprehend what I've put in the one created for him. Imagine that someone created a Facebook profile for you, and then years down the road you discovered this and took it over, and upon first glance, learned that this was the identity they set up for you? Even if you're six years old, this is still like telling a child their favourite dinosaur is T-Rex when it's really Triceratops. That sh!t just ain't gonna fly. So do your kid a favour: Avoid the identity crisis and post his baby pictures on your own Facebook, and when they're old enough to get their own profile, ask them if you want their baby pictures to be tagged. Just don't get offended when they say no. After all, do you have a burning desire to have pictures tagged of you whilst getting a bath? Didn't think so. Unless you're Verne Troyer maybe.
Plus, don't you need an email address to start a Facebook account? Does this mean these babies have email addresses too? Who is going to email an infant? Technology may be leaping forward, but maybe it's in the best interest of children everywhere to let their technology stop at Tickle Me Elmo.
And so I was browsing through her pictures and realized that lo and behold, she's had an adorable baby recently. Yet this is where the feelings of "aw, isn't that cute" turned into "ugh, that's a little creepo", when i realized that her baby was tagged in all of the pictures. Some further investigation confirmed my worst suspicions: this infant, who judging from the date of the photo album can't be any older than 6 months, has his own Facebook account.
Why is this the more than a little creepo? After the jump!
Some new parents out there may be crying foul at this statement (mainly because they too have also created Facebook accounts for their babies). But here's the thing, as much as I'm all for being able to put on your Facebook profile whatever you want, I'm also a consenting adult, and thus can look at whatever inappropriate drunken pictures, lewd comments, and overall things-you-don't-want-your-boss-or-children-to-see that I like. Children are different, and there's restrictions on things for children, including on the Internet, to shield them from the horrors of the Verne Troyer sex tape until they're old enough. Heck, you can't even get a MySpace account until you're at least 13. These babies may not be able to comprehend Facebook now, but in a few years they will (and yes, Facebook will probably still be around then), and they may not fully grasp the Naughty Toy application they way grownups can.
All of this leads me to my next point. Some may argue that creating a Facebook profile for your infant is no different than creating one for your pet (to which I am certainly guilty. All pets past and present have profiles on my Facebook). The difference is that my Bassett Hound is never going to actually create his own Facebook profile, let alone comprehend what I've put in the one created for him. Imagine that someone created a Facebook profile for you, and then years down the road you discovered this and took it over, and upon first glance, learned that this was the identity they set up for you? Even if you're six years old, this is still like telling a child their favourite dinosaur is T-Rex when it's really Triceratops. That sh!t just ain't gonna fly. So do your kid a favour: Avoid the identity crisis and post his baby pictures on your own Facebook, and when they're old enough to get their own profile, ask them if you want their baby pictures to be tagged. Just don't get offended when they say no. After all, do you have a burning desire to have pictures tagged of you whilst getting a bath? Didn't think so. Unless you're Verne Troyer maybe.
Plus, don't you need an email address to start a Facebook account? Does this mean these babies have email addresses too? Who is going to email an infant? Technology may be leaping forward, but maybe it's in the best interest of children everywhere to let their technology stop at Tickle Me Elmo.
1 comment:
Best picture of an angry baby ever!
I thank God that I was born in a world without Facebook. But I also praise God that it became popular when it did.
Infant accounts make my skin crawl!
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