Facebook over-sharing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the solution is to stay off social media because:
"too many kid photos"
"too many pet photos"
"too many selfies"
"too much bragging about their kids"
"too much bragging about their work accomplishments"
"too much politics"
"too many braggy vacation photos"
"too much whining about personal problems"
"too many food posts. I don't care about that ham sandwich you had for lunch."

These are all complaints I have heard from real people. Maybe this is why I never post on social media. I'm not sure what is left to post about

I mean, this is the problem with social media, is that it aggregates everything. Most of what people complain about seeing on social media, they wouldn't mind receiving in a text from a friend or close family member. There is something about the public nature of SM, combined with the fact that everyone is doing it all at once, that grates.

Like if a friend told me she was super proud of her kid's grades this semester, especially if she talked about how it was an improvement or she knew how hard her kid worked for those grades, I'd be thrilled for her. Zero judgment. But on social media, if multiple people shared their kid's grades, it starts to feel like you are being inundated and it's weird.

I don't just individual people for what they post on social media and I wouldn't tell someone what to post or not post, but the reason I stay off social media is that I do feel like when you see everyone's posts aggregated there, it does tend to feel like too much of kids/vacations/politics/whining/food/work/selfies/pets. I'm not rejecting the people on social media. I'm rejecting the platform itself. I'd rather just hear about this stuff in person or via text or email, where there is context and I can focus on the specific person sharing it instead of getting a feed of everyone I'm connected to sharing at once (or what feels like at once, even though obviously it's not).

Yes! I think you're absolutely right. On the one hand we are naturally curious and want to peek into the lives of people who are sorta-friends. But it really does become too much. A friend recently told me about her kid's report card in real conversation and it seemed totally natural. But on social media it would definitely be a odd thing to broadcast.

[Anonymous]

No one cares about some other kids report card.

[Anonymous]

It’s social media *shrug*. But, by MS, your kid has a right to some privacy, even if the grades are great.

The only person I know who does this is the mom of 2 SPED kids— with intellectual difficulties so severe they are not doing a standard diploma and will go to the Davis Center in FCPS after HS to try to get the work skills needed for a minimum wage job. The mom posts the straight A report cards with the “Practical Math” and “Skills for Independent Living” classes. And it makes me grateful that my kids (who are far from perfect) don’t have these types of lifelong challenges.

I’m happy that she has these brag opportunities for her kids. She’ll never get to do the “my kid driving independently for the first time” or the where my kid is going to college” or “excited my kid is setting off for a semester abroad” posts. She’s extremely gracious about my kids achievements. But I know it must be hard to watch your kids peers become independent and start adult lives when your kids may never meet many of these adult milestones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have friends who constantly posted "So Proud" ...of all the "academic accomplishments" through elementary school and then radio silence.... as their child was being counselled out.

Maybe the person who posted realizes as they get older that not everyone needs to know everything about their life or their kids life. I think that when FB first came out everyone posted every breath they took. It's tapered off a lot with my friends as we get older. Some people still post their brags often though....maybe insecurity? (shrug)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s social media *shrug*. But, by MS, your kid has a right to some privacy, even if the grades are great.

The only person I know who does this is the mom of 2 SPED kids— with intellectual difficulties so severe they are not doing a standard diploma and will go to the Davis Center in FCPS after HS to try to get the work skills needed for a minimum wage job. The mom posts the straight A report cards with the “Practical Math” and “Skills for Independent Living” classes. And it makes me grateful that my kids (who are far from perfect) don’t have these types of lifelong challenges.

I’m happy that she has these brag opportunities for her kids. She’ll never get to do the “my kid driving independently for the first time” or the where my kid is going to college” or “excited my kid is setting off for a semester abroad” posts. She’s extremely gracious about my kids achievements. But I know it must be hard to watch your kids peers become independent and start adult lives when your kids may never meet many of these adult milestones.

YES!

[Anonymous]

I've seen "only A's for all the [family name] kids this time" on FB and it led me to unfollow the person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel pretty much "you-do-you" on social media. Block it if you don't like it .

But I don't care for the report card posts. I'm a SPED teacher and work in a school with serious socioeconomic and emotional needs. I teared up with happy tears when a student brought my his grades that were all Cs and Ds! He passed everything and that was a huge deal. Posting As and Bs on social media does seem braggy, though I'm sure your kids worked hard for that too.

One of my kids gets As without trying. The other WORKS for those Bs. But those grades are between the kid, the parent, and the teachers.

Well said.

Completely agree...one student can easily pull an A and another student worked hard for theB or C

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s social media *shrug*. But, by MS, your kid has a right to some privacy, even if the grades are great.

The only person I know who does this is the mom of 2 SPED kids— with intellectual difficulties so severe they are not doing a standard diploma and will go to the Davis Center in FCPS after HS to try to get the work skills needed for a minimum wage job. The mom posts the straight A report cards with the “Practical Math” and “Skills for Independent Living” classes. And it makes me grateful that my kids (who are far from perfect) don’t have these types of lifelong challenges.

I’m happy that she has these brag opportunities for her kids. She’ll never get to do the “my kid driving independently for the first time” or the where my kid is going to college” or “excited my kid is setting off for a semester abroad” posts. She’s extremely gracious about my kids achievements. But I know it must be hard to watch your kids peers become independent and start adult lives when your kids may never meet many of these adult milestones.

YES!

+1
Unlike many of you I don't mind when anyone posts this stuff but the ones I've seen are parents of kids who are struggling somehow like with mental health issues or learning disabilities. It makes me happy to see the parents of those kids having success and gives me hope for my own child.

[Anonymous]

Unfollow

[Anonymous]

I never and would never post anything about my kids online. But I find it fascinating to brows the postings of the parents of my children's classmates. One of my child's classmates has a mom that posts way too much, but I learn so much gossip and important info about the school through her account. A dad of one her classmates is a big-time rabble rouser in his interactions with the school's official SM accounts, which also provides a lot of information about things that you otherwise would never know. I'm being purposely vague, but just want to point out that those of us with more discretion can benefit from the parents who totally lack it.