Social media used to be a basic obligation. For some people, it still is, but other people are finding ways to keep in touch without using sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. The sites just aren’t as fun as they used to be in some cases. This is probably why there are about 15 million fewer U.S. Facebook users in 2019 than there were in 2017. But if you get off Facebook and Instagram, that makes it a bit trickier to share photos with your friends. It’s by no means an impossible ask, though, especially if you know a few tricks. Here are ways to share your photos without plastering them all over social media.
Share online photos another way
You just had a baby. Congratulations, but now you have to figure out what to do about all the texts you’re getting asking what the baby looks like. Labor is hard enough without trying to manage Aunt Mildred’s feelings about not being the first person to get a photo of your child. First, you should take as much time to rest as possible. You don’t owe anyone an explanation if you want to just hide away with your new family for a few days.
But at some point, you’ll probably want to distribute photos without texting everyone individually. And starting a group chat for baby photos can also be a bad idea. Group texts are useful for some ways, but if you send baby photos, you’re going to get a lot of annoying reactions from people. Expect lots of hearts. And that’s a best-case case scenario. Outside of that, you may well get a ton of people saying, “He looks so much like you” or “She’s so cute!” The same message over and over is annoying no matter how it’s sent.
That’s when a smart home device like ibi can be a valuable investment. These devices allow you to share photos online privately by sending everyone a link. No one will see the photos unless you want them to. It’s an elegant solution if you want to show friends and family members your new baby, but don’t, for instance, want to show every single co-worker who texts you the same thing. It’s up to you to draw lines, and a photo-sharing device makes doing so easier and more instinctual.
Other benefits of private photo sharing
But online photo-sharing devices are good for other occasions as well. Sure, celebrations like a wedding or new baby are nice, but some photos, well, might not be as festive. We’re talking about embarrassing but funny occasions, like that photo of you screaming on a roller coaster. Or the day you found a skunk in your attic and had to call skunk removal in Los Angeles. No one wants to make a post online that says, “Hey guys, look at my skunk problem! Anybody got any tomato juice?”
You should also be careful about posting potentially embarrassing photos of other people. It’s fine if you want to display a photo of yourself with weird contraptions in your mouth at the dentist, but you wouldn’t randomly take a photo of the person in the next treatment room, right? Don’t do that to your friends, either. If you take an unflattering photo, make sure you offer to delete it first. That means both off your device and off the cloud.
Technology has made it easier than ever to share photos with our friends, family, and even complete strangers. Yet that doesn’t mean you have to be an open book. Post what you feel comfortable posting on Facebook, or delete your entire social media footprint if you feel like it. Above all, remember to give other people in photos the same consideration you would give yourself.
