Talk about a storm in a tweetcup! When Penelope Trunk tweeted the following, she caused an outcry:
I'm in a board meeting. having a miscarriage. Thank goodness, because there's a f***ed-up 3-week hoop-jump to have an abortion in Wisconsin
Now, I'm not really interested in discussing the ins and outs of abortion, or how women deal with miscarriage or the rights/or not of the unborn child vs woman's body debate.
But I am intrigued at the furore that the Tweet has caused. In fact I cannot believe this to be the most offensive thing ever posted on Twitter, Facebook, myspace or wherever. So why all of the fuss?
I have been dabbling with social networking sites for a little while now, and have been on facebook in particular for some time. I am utterly amazed at the level of, often intimate, detail that people will post for old school friends, family members, work colleagues, bosses and acquaintances to see. And I'm not talking teenagers here - I'm talking 30 and 40 somethings, who seem to be at the forefront of online living - escapism from middle-aged mediocre lives, or simply a way of cranking up ones productivity. Who knows.
There was even the case of the MI6 chief - John Sawers, whose wife had posted numerous family photos and details of holidays etc on her facebook account. Doh! And surely therein lies the issue. When does the release of information jeopardise either your own or someone else's security? Or when is the content so grossly offensive that it breaks some law or other? Surely anything else is completely up to the individual.
People are trying to sell their virginity, and their grannies on ebay. The miscarriage tweet, though it may offend many, is really no big deal.
I'm in a board meeting. having a miscarriage. Thank goodness, because there's a f***ed-up 3-week hoop-jump to have an abortion in Wisconsin
Now, I'm not really interested in discussing the ins and outs of abortion, or how women deal with miscarriage or the rights/or not of the unborn child vs woman's body debate.
But I am intrigued at the furore that the Tweet has caused. In fact I cannot believe this to be the most offensive thing ever posted on Twitter, Facebook, myspace or wherever. So why all of the fuss?
I have been dabbling with social networking sites for a little while now, and have been on facebook in particular for some time. I am utterly amazed at the level of, often intimate, detail that people will post for old school friends, family members, work colleagues, bosses and acquaintances to see. And I'm not talking teenagers here - I'm talking 30 and 40 somethings, who seem to be at the forefront of online living - escapism from middle-aged mediocre lives, or simply a way of cranking up ones productivity. Who knows.
There was even the case of the MI6 chief - John Sawers, whose wife had posted numerous family photos and details of holidays etc on her facebook account. Doh! And surely therein lies the issue. When does the release of information jeopardise either your own or someone else's security? Or when is the content so grossly offensive that it breaks some law or other? Surely anything else is completely up to the individual.
People are trying to sell their virginity, and their grannies on ebay. The miscarriage tweet, though it may offend many, is really no big deal.
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