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Strollerderby
Tweeting from the Womb
I’ve heard of toddlers who tweet (well, their parents do it for them) and moms who tweet during childbirth, but apparently, now even fetuses have their own Twitter feeds.
Every time your not-yet-child kicks, The Kickbee, a “fetal kick device,” will post a tweet or send a text message from a dedicated Twitter account announcing, “I kicked Mommy.”
I find the notion of a tweeting fetus creepy on various levels. First off, who really needs to know every time you get jabbed by the little one? Feeling it firsthand is one thing, but reading about a baby kicking would get boring really fast.
Secondly, I’m tired of hearing the minutiae about the babies who already exist via Twitter, Facebook and on the countless mommy blogs I follow (Little Joey pooped! Hooray!). Do we need to start the madness even before babies are born?
No wonder kids these days are so self-absorbed. One little kick and it’s big news. Next thing you know, fetuses are going to get their own reality TV shows or parents are going to brag about whose fetus has more Twitter followers.
Thirdly, fetuses can’t talk and I don’t like pretending that they can.
Finally, what if the worst should happen and you lose a pregnancy, won’t it be even more painful after your fetus has already Tweeted to friends and family?
I’m not the only one who has questions about this new device. What sort of message does it send to your child as they grow up and carve out their own niche online?
“I want my child to learn how to be a responsible social sharer on his/her own and not because mommy was so eager to share every adorable move,” writes Natali del Conte, who reported about the Kickbee device for CBS News’ “Eye on Parenting.”
del Conte, who is due with her first child any day, is already wondering about how much sharing online is okay. As it is parents are posting sonogram photos on Facebook and tweeting about their kids’ potty habits. Kids aren’t supposed to be using Facebook until they’re 13. Do they need a Twitter account before they’re even born?
Shouldn’t I allow the baby to develop its own social-networking habits? Will it ever develop its own judiciousness when it comes to social networking if I default to sharing everything from the get-go? Shouldn’t I ultimately allow its bowel movements to be its own business?
del Conte raises another interesting question. How will the new generation of babies and toddlers born to mommy bloggers and “oversharing parents” behave online as they get older? I predict this will become a topic for a study in the year 2020 or so.
What do you think? Would you want your fetus to have a Twitter account?
Photo: flickr/mestreech
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[...] a case of the Mondays. That’s not to mention the babies that now have their own accounts or this strange phenomenon of fetuses tweeting from the womb. (Personal rule – you must be at least 3 feet tall and able to [...]
Trone—Unmass the Message® » Blog Archive » All of my friends have turned into babies commented on Aug 03 10 at 2:45 pmLucky commented on Jul 26 10 at 9:12 amHaha, back before twitter, a good friend of my created a myspace page for her fetus. I was thoroughly creeped out. But I couldn’t decline her friend request. I just quietly shook my head.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Jul 26 10 at 9:53 amMy son’s name and the boy-to-be already have registered domain names and email addresses… in case they want them in the future. But we’re just holding the addresses, they aren’t getting any use otherwise.
JZ commented on Jul 26 10 at 10:12 amI guess I dont see the big deal. Where the internet is concerned if theres something I dont like on it I just skip over it.
Surprised_Mama commented on Jul 26 10 at 10:57 amHa! I would think that would be a little weird if I ever received a tweet from a fetus, but that’s just me. I would definitely be interested to see if there would be a study later on regarding the kids of mom bloggers. Who knows, our kids may turn out just like their classmates and not even be phased by their early online presence.
JBoogie commented on Jul 26 10 at 11:45 amI do hate when I see status updates and tweets that say “he pooped in the potty this morning!” or, “little one had an accident in her panties this morning! potty training is rough!” Really? Ew. You should be mopping your floor, not embarrassing yourself and your kid. And, I’m sure when he/she gets older and finds out that mommy broadcasted every time a turd made it in the toilet, he/she is not gonna be too happy.
bob commented on Jul 26 10 at 12:08 pmHa, JBoogie! On the other hand, they might just take over the tweeting for themselves: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=“I+am+pooping”
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Jul 26 10 at 12:19 pmEven better, maybe they will return the favor when their parents are elderly: “Mom crapped the couch again! Depends are so expensive!!!”
bob commented on Jul 26 10 at 12:38 pmOh, God! I just checked…There’s a hashtag for that: #depends
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