I said goodbye to a friend. He died way too young.
As I stood in front of his casket, I was overcome with grief. I reached out to the friends who were on either side of me. It was our own, private moment. At least that’s what we thought at the time.
A couple days later I got a notification from a social networking website. I’d been tagged in a picture. Curious, I followed the link, and I was shocked to see that someone had posted and shared my moment of grief with the world.
When did it become a thing to take a camera to a funeral? I’d already been distracted during the service by one of my friend’s relatives flashing away with her camera.
As a journalist in a past life, I was trained to always have my camera at the ready. But I always knew when to keep it put away.
One time in particular comes to mind. I was the newsletter editor of a statewide volunteer group. I was invited to a party hosted by the movers and shakers of our parent organization. As the alcohol flowed, and people moved toward the piano, I instinctively reached for my camera. Then I hesitated. These people were my friends and highly respected in their profession. What purpose would it serve to expose their private fun in the media?
And that was before the days of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. Now when you post a picture, it's out there forever.
Let people have their private moments. Think before you snap.
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