About two weeks ago, Mashable published an article based on a study by Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research. The study points out the behavior of women on Facebook. And there’s more than a few interesting numbers to come out of this. 34% of women between the ages of 18-34 will check Facebook before doing anything else after they wake up; 21% will check it in the middle of the night; 79% are fine with putting up pictures of themselves kissing along with 42% putting up pictures of themselves intoxicated; and finally 39% consider themselves to be addicts.
Emerging Facebook Behavior
What’s interesting here is that 54% don’t trust Facebook with their private information and a clear majority of 89% say they would never put up anything they wouldn’t want their parents to see. It’s fascinating that the study points out behaviours on both sides of the spectrum. At one side, these women are clearly into the Facebook scene. However, in that same breath, they want to be private, to some degree, about what they share.
As we’ve all seen, Facebook privacy has become a serious issue. Governments have even rallied to oppose some of Facebook’s action. With all that being said, I’ve seen a growing trend on Facebook. And it’s one that has got me dumbfounded. One with more serious implications than any us can possibly comprehend – considering it’s never happened before. This trend is the emergence of Facebook Babies.
And I’m not talking about children being conceived because of Facebook or people starting their relationships on Facebook. That’s another story in itself. What I’m pointing out here is the drastic increase of individuals – and from my own observations, young Gen-X and older Gen-Y mothers – putting up pictures of their newborns on Facebook. If you’re experiencing deja-vu and flashbacks of Jim Carrey’s “The Truman Show” you’re not be alone.
Growing Up Online
Although “The Truman Show” is a movie based on chronicling the life of a man, which was made to be a reality-based TV show within the movie, these Facebook Babies will in essence experience the same thing. If these patterns hold true, these children will have their entire lives recorded on Facebook for the world to see. Can you even imagine your parents sharing everything about you growing up to people beyond those that were always around you? It’s mind-blowing to even think of the thought.
What’s even more interesting is that this goes back to my article of understanding the growing difference between sharing and connecting. I argue that the earlier half of the Millennials will be prone to sharing information online, more particularly those born in the early 1980s to early 1990s. When you take it one step further, these Facebook Babies are from parents, especially mothers, that are born in and around this time. As a result, I wouldn’t be surprised to see an entire generation literally grow-up online. Based on my numbers from my previous article, the study linked at the beginning and through observation, Facebook Babies will represent a generation starting in the years of 2008-2010 and one that might last to 2020-2024. Maybe even beyond.
Facebook Babies: A Generation of Firsts
We will watch an entire generation of firsts. First birthdays, first steps, first days of school and so on. Though privacy is a legitimate and serious issue, we’ve all lightly brushed that aside for what we presume to be a fair trade-off for use. The irony here is that the majority of us – Millennials and Gen-Y – would never want anything to do with our parents online, yet we are putting pictures up of our own young children. Not only is this ironic, the ramifications to this trend could be extremely severe. Something we’ll face only after it happens.
Unfortunately, we really won’t know the ramifications of any of this until time passes and these children grow up. In my opinion, this is a situation that is beyond serious and something that shouldn’t be taken lightly at all. No one really knows what this can lead to. It’s one thing to have photo albums in our house. However, it’s a completely different world and experience to be sharing those photo-albums with everyone else. Am I overstating the simple and harmless act of picture sharing? Possibly. Though, to some degree we already have serious issues with sharing pictures of children.
Like I stated above, imagine if your parents did this to you. After all, these Facebook Babies don’t know any better than to smile at the camera when you say “cheese.” They at least deserve the slightest protection and a safe environment. These Facebook Babies will always be smiling. Let’s not give them something to frown about when they grow up and realize what’s going on.
