"So my digital space is made up of my close family and friends. A small circle of people who I engage with regularly and are involved in social interactions with myself and my family in real life."
“Probably the biggest “a-ha” moment was a photo I posted with my niece and I at the beach. Again a proud moment as it was her first time at the beach. However, one comment which hit home was something a long the lines of “bro, you’ve got your priorities mixed. Wrong age”. And follow up comments of “LOL”. I understood that it was an attempt at humour. But I felt that it was in poor form and context. And I certainly didn’t want my close family members reading it and interpreting in their own way. But more than that - it showed me that there were people online who just could not appreciate purpose and intent of sharing a beautiful moment. And that every opportunity was one to comment in the guise of humour. From that moment I limited interaction on those social media platforms to the point where I was not active for several months. But I would still take photos and post them on a dedicated photo sharing site. And slowly I would cull my friends list and remove peoples who I hadn’t interacted with for a while, and those who I felt just we did not share the same mindset (prioritising family). The main influence for this change was around recognising when and where to engage in humour. There is a time and place for it… So my digital space is made up of my close family and friends. A small circle of people who I engage with regularly and are involved in social interactions with myself and my family in real life. The interaction now is less about showing off and egocentric and more about recognising life experiences, appreciating beautiful moments and sharing memories.” – Male, 45, WA - Andrew
*Information and image changed to protect their identity.
