Do You Have Social Media Etiquette?
by Nancy O’Neill of onedotadvice
When you post a photo online or tag a person in a picture, do you ask permission from them first?
Photo from photoXpress
What about sharing private information about your family or friends? Or what about posting videos or photos of strangers on your social media sites?
With the ease of capturing people in public without their knowledge, it’s impossible for someone to retain privacy unless they never leave their house. Let’s say you’re at a restaurant with your family enjoying dinner. Or you’re at school or work going through your daily routine. Or maybe it’s the weekend and you’re shopping at the mall. Anyone with a cell phone could be taking your picture or shooting a video of you without you ever knowing it. Within a matter of minutes, they’ve posted it on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. Your name probably isn’t mentioned unless they know you and maybe you won’t ever see the post but your personal life is now public without your permission.
What if you’re with some of your friends just goofing around? Someone pulls out a camera or their phone and starts clicking. Everyone is having fun but maybe not all of the people involved actually want these photos plastered all over Internet. Just because you can take photos effortlessly these days and post them online doesn’t mean you should.
Let’s look at another situation. You attend a conference. You meet lots of people, make great contacts and instant friends, and exchange all your social media information. It’s common for people to be taking pictures of everything and anything all day long at an event. Before your head hits the pillow, there’s a good chance that someone took your picture during the day and that you will be tagged in a photo posted online somewhere. In this situation, it’s probably harmless and most people won’t care if you shared their photo. However, it wouldn’t hurt to exercise common courtesy and get their permission or at least mention that you might share it with several thousand of your closest friends on Twitter or Facebook.
Ask yourself this question. “Would I take a photo of someone and post it on a freeway billboard or send it to a newspaper editor or use it in a book I was writing, all without ever asking the person’s permission first?”
Sharing information, videos, and photos online shouldn’t be any different from what you would respectfully do in person. People are entitled to their privacy. The next time you take a photo or video of someone and are ready to post it online, think about asking their permission first.
When kids are involved, extra consideration should be taken. Everyone, including parents, should think long and hard before posting anything online about their own kids or other kids without permission. What you share now will have an effect on their lives for many years to come.
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I agree in principle, but it’s really a losing battle these days isn’t it. I try, maybe not as hard as I should, but if I’m taking photos at parties/evenings out/events, I generally announce a few times that I’ll probably be putting some of them on Facebook later, so that people have a chance to speak up if they don’t want their photo included. It’s not the same as asking express permission I know, but mostly it’s people I know, and so I have an idea how they would feel about their pictures being posted. I don’t think I would post random stranger pictures. And Twitter I would be more hesitant because there’s lots of people I don’t know following me. Children I am much more careful about, I check first (unless I know definitely that their parents are happy about it).
This is responsible social networking. But yeah, it is a losing battle because this etiquette wasn’t introduced in the very beginning of online photo sharing.
You are in to taste my rage!
Taking an fucking photo of someone in public is not really illegal. Aslong the focus is not on one single person and like zooming in all the way to the face.
Stop being so fucking lame about it people. Who the fuck cares if some hypersensitive nugget was found in an photo with 6-7 people in it.
I can’t understand humanity. So stupid. I do partially agree with the blog post. But this is just morality lameness. Take whatever fucking photo you want in public. I do not give an shit. Up in the face is another matter.
No Sugar Coating, No Hand Holding.
-Gird3r
First of all, understand the sense of the article before steering your rage in comments section. The post is about deliberately taking photo of someone you are not and posting it online without due permission. It being illegal is never mentioned. Secondly, make sure you write in proper grammar at least – it hurts your credibility.
I observe differing views on my posts, and I welcome them. But not in this language.
Reblogged this on Facebook Hot Babe.
Thank you!
Reblogged this on Kaleidoscope.
Appreciate this.
Courtesy is always best, and this is becoming an even more pressing situation, now that the facial recognition-auto-tagging software is being deployed.
You said it right, courtesy is essential. It’s so easy to tag people, even possible for multiple photos within seconds.
Reblogged this on mchelsmusings.
Thanks!
You’re welcome! 😀
Great post. I think, though there are many advantages to social media, there are many disadvantages…and this is one. We have become a lot more insensitive to the feelings of others due to the fact that a lot of our communication is done electronically. I really feel that one day, unless we become more conscious of ourselves, feelings as well as respect for others will become secondary to our own need for entertainment.
I would not like to live in a world where respect is overlooked. Thanks Shayna!
Thanks for sharing my blog article. It’s good to see others’ views on the subject too.
Welcome, and thanks for letting me repost this great work of yours.
You are right – more awareness would be good. This extends to the business field. Employers ought to be aware that e.g. giving them a photography for a print context does not imply it is ok to use it online, too. If they still do, one might not be aware of it until it is already “grabbed” by special people search enginges. To get it out of there, can be quite a challenge…
I heard a story of my friend where his photo in Facebook was apparently used to advertise coffee by one company, without notifying the person on the photo. Aside from being rude, it’s unethical to do so. Thanks for sharing!
I agree with this post. I always ask my friends for permission if I want to post a pic with/of them on my Facebook. The pic they are on is (in my opinion) their property and it’s a duty to ask them do they agree. It’s their choice do they want to be in the Internet, not mine.
Great post. I wholeheartedly agree as it’s happened to me and gotten me into a jam a few times. I recently discovered a privacy setting on my FB that requires me to approve any photos that someone tags me in. Works like a charm.
Great article Nancy, I was just pondering this the other day. There are lots of photo ops for me to capture great moments of joy in perfect strangers lives, but it is kind of creepy when you think of all the weirdo’s out there taking pics for all the wrong reasons. I’ve opted to not use something that I don’t have permission to use. May seem like a very small issue to some but better to be respectful than assume…we all know what kind of trouble that can get us in!
There definitely needs to be some sort of “tagging” edicate rule book out there. I especially feel bad for the younger people having to deal with this problem in high school etc. It opens up a bigger channel for bullying as well.