Photos on Facebook attributed to opinions

[Batya33]

I am posting this here because this has to do with a friend on Facebook. Maybe I need a reality check. No I do not want to block her, yes most of the time I mind my own business and never react or comment on her multitude of venting/hate mongering posts, most of them political. In real life she is a very smart and thoughtful and well-meaning person. Known her for 10 years. She is middle aged, worldly, has a job and a business ,etc.

 

She posted a photo of an actual person, a female. It had a caption about that person's political leanings on top with a negative connotation and then a caption below with some words that expressed an opinion having to do with those political leanings. It had no name for the person and no actual quote marks nor did it say that "this person said...." - but if you look at it of course it looks like the words are attributed to the person in the photo.

 

It just triggered a real reaction in me - because when I saw the website it came from it was a website where you can photoshop someone's image and attach it to a quote. Something like that. I private messaged her to ask her why she needed to include the person's photo with that opinion and caption - did she know that that person actually said that? She just did not get it. She wrote something about how she gets emails all the time about celebrities saying things that they didn't say (well sure they are famous people, they kind of sign up for that, I guess) and she said that it never occurred to her to look at the photo and since there weren't quote marks it's not attributed to her.

 

OK so it's none of my business, right? But is this really ok? Is it really ok to post a photo of some random person, with a caption, especially one like that and put it on Facebook? I asked her if she'd be ok if that was her photo instead of that woman's. She responded that she could see that as being an issue but again she never gave a second thought to whether the post contained a photo of a person, a cartoon, a cat. (Yes, a cartoon is fine!).

 

Maybe I'm not in touch with reality.

 

(I should add that she vented on Facebook about recently being banned from Facebook for 3 days for something she posted on a political group).

 

Just to clarify - I really don't care what the words were or that they were political. It was that it was a strong opinion about an issue attributed to an actual person. I would have been equally appalled if I completely agreed with my friend's opinion (I don't agree or disagree because the way the words were written was so out there/ridiculous that I wouldn't be able to agree/disagree no matter what my political leanings were).

[Seraphim]

She is taking things waaaaaaay over the line. I would probably distance myself from her on Facebook and in person because you never know when you're next if it's about something she doesn't like . She's getting pretty close to slander .

[Wiseman2]

Trying to police a place like FB is an exercise in futility. Unfortunately freedom of speech applies to social media, whether you agree or not to what people are posting, implying, ranting about, etc. Allow the person involved to deal with her.

[DancingFool]

Agree with the above. I wouldn't confront her and just quietly distance from her.

 

You say she is all wonderful in real life, but what she is spewing on FB is very much real her, those are her real thoughts and leanings with the face to face filter removed. Beware because with people like that, because you truly don't know what they are really thinking and how they might turn on you. She may never have the guts to say something to your face, but who knows what damage she might do online since that's where she seems to come out in full color....

[Seraphim]

There is a person on my FB who hates our present leader. I mean she despises him and posts about 30 things a day saying so . I just scroll on by. But she doesn't attack other people with it for their believe . The person on your Facebook I would give her a wide berth she sounds fanatical. Fanatics of any persuasion are not good .

[Wiseman2]

Political rants should be an automatic delete and block. It's nothing but brain-eating vexations. Only you can decide what pollutants you allow in your consciousness. Hyperbola is typically intended as such. The junk food of the mind. Seek higher ground.

[qwaspolk82]

I am posting this here because this has to do with a friend on Facebook. Maybe I need a reality check. No I do not want to block her, yes most of the time I mind my own business and never react or comment on her multitude of venting/hate mongering posts, most of them political. In real life she is a very smart and thoughtful and well-meaning person. Known her for 10 years. She is middle aged, worldly, has a job and a business ,etc.

 

She posted a photo of an actual person, a female. It had a caption about that person's political leanings on top with a negative connotation and then a caption below with some words that expressed an opinion having to do with those political leanings. It had no name for the person and no actual quote marks nor did it say that "this person said...." - but if you look at it of course it looks like the words are attributed to the person in the photo.

 

It just triggered a real reaction in me - because when I saw the website it came from it was a website where you can photoshop someone's image and attach it to a quote. Something like that. I private messaged her to ask her why she needed to include the person's photo with that opinion and caption - did she know that that person actually said that? She just did not get it. She wrote something about how she gets emails all the time about celebrities saying things that they didn't say (well sure they are famous people, they kind of sign up for that, I guess) and she said that it never occurred to her to look at the photo and since there weren't quote marks it's not attributed to her.

 

OK so it's none of my business, right? But is this really ok? Is it really ok to post a photo of some random person, with a caption, especially one like that and put it on Facebook? I asked her if she'd be ok if that was her photo instead of that woman's. She responded that she could see that as being an issue but again she never gave a second thought to whether the post contained a photo of a person, a cartoon, a cat. (Yes, a cartoon is fine!).

 

Maybe I'm not in touch with reality.

 

(I should add that she vented on Facebook about recently being banned from Facebook for 3 days for something she posted on a political group).

 

Just to clarify - I really don't care what the words were or that they were political. It was that it was a strong opinion about an issue attributed to an actual person. I would have been equally appalled if I completely agreed with my friend's opinion (I don't agree or disagree because the way the words were written was so out there/ridiculous that I wouldn't be able to agree/disagree no matter what my political leanings were).

 

She's even getting Facebook timeouts??? Lol. I would just block her on social media and if she's fine in the real world only see her outside Facebook.

 

But if I had a friend like that they wouldn't be my friend much longer.

[Coily]

Here's the thing about the sewer that can be FB, (and one that I am actively in) that the lines between fact and fiction is almost non-existent. Satire reigns supreme, though poorly crafted. The Political loons of all stripes build towering soapboxes and fling their crap far and wide. I personally try to actively avoid posts on politics on FB, as it never ends well no matter how well researched and thoughtful you are as the echo chamber just hits a deafening crescendo.

 

The simplest solution is just to un-follow this lady and let her destroy herself.

[j.man]

Big reason I don't believe a single thing unless it's an unedited video... and even then. The fact the masses will gladly accept conjecture as fact so long as you toss a random photo in there is sad, but not new. The internet definitely made it worse, and then social media made it so everyone and their mother can now do it.

 

It's very unfortunate that we've been given this gift (and I do believe that) of the internet and social media, where never before in human ****ing history has it ever been so easy to exchange ideas, we resort to divisive conjecture and shaming rather than actually exchanging ideas and fostering an intellectual and progressive climate.

 

As pointed out, this is who your friend is. Just another person spewing diarrhea from her fingertips and thinking her words are gold. Personally, I troll people like that. With someone like her, it's just so easy to. But you're actually a good person, so I might just stick with blocking her and/or reporting the post. I know Facebook sometimes acts on personal attributions without citations, though I couldn't guarantee they'd do anything.

[lostandhurt]

Simply click the little arrow in the upper right hand corner and select "Hide all from _____" or if it is not linked from another site "Hide Post"

 

What this does is start a filter in what you see. I do it all the time and it really cuts down on all the political drama and ranting's. I hadn't realized just how much until I accessed FB from my phone one day and noticed a lot of posts that I usually don't see. As it turned out I had to help FB know what I didn't want to see on my mobile device as well as my PC.

 

Give it a try and see how it works.

 

Lost

[browneyedgirl36]

Simply click the little arrow in the upper right hand corner and select "Hide all from _____" or if it is not linked from another site "Hide Post"

 

What this does is start a filter in what you see. I do it all the time and it really cuts down on all the political drama and ranting's. I hadn't realized just how much until I accessed FB from my phone one day and noticed a lot of posts that I usually don't see. As it turned out I had to help FB know what I didn't want to see on my mobile device as well as my PC.

 

Give it a try and see how it works.

 

Lost

 

Yes! This ^ . That way, even if you don't want to "unfriend" her -- which sounds as though it could cause some unnecessary drama on her end (she sounds like that sort of person), you can just hide all of her posts. Later, if you decide you want to be able to see them again, you can un-hide them. I had a FB "friend" who did similar things -- except she posted a picture of an actual person -- a stranger minding her own business in public -- and posted a snarky comment (the woman was obese and had a large bag of food and a large drink from a fast food establishment in her lap). I, along with others, publicly took her to task for it, and she didn't get it. Since she was associated with my workplace, at the time, I thought "unfriending" her might lead to a lot of drama (she was the type to notice and call someone on it immediately) so I just hid her posts. Now, I can only see them if I actually go to her timeline, which I don't.

 

What this person did was, at the very least, ethically suspect. Posting someone's photo without their permission is suspect to begin with, but then attributing words to that person that he or she didn't say? Ugh. I guess I don't see the point of it, either? She's trying to make some political point, of course, but why not just stick to giving her own opinion? Why transfer/project her opinion onto someone else who may not, in reality, even share that opinion? The fact that she's been "banned" from Facebook before speaks volumes. It's amazing how people who outwardly seem so successful and "together" otherwise can turn into what seems entirely different people on social media. I read a really funny quote that sums it up perfectly: Facebook has made me hate people I know very well and like people I've never met in my life.

[Batya33]

BEG this is what I asked her. I have unfollowed certain people (mostly because I find their daily updates dull/clutters up my newsfeed) but I do care how she's doing generally - I guess you are right I can just check her timeline. Interestingly, she started a new profile just for political venting so I'm not sure why she is still doing that with her actual profile (I did not friend her new profile - just came up in suggested friends).

 

I really appreciate all of your input and the variety of it!

[Batya33]

BEG this is what I asked her. I have unfollowed certain people (mostly because I find their daily updates dull/clutters up my newsfeed) but I do care how she's doing generally - I guess you are right I can just check her timeline. Interestingly, she started a new profile just for political venting so I'm not sure why she is still doing that with her actual profile (I did not friend her new profile - just came up in suggested friends).

 

I really appreciate all of your input and the variety of it!

[JaggerJim]

Oh totally hit the DE-FRIEND button on this one!

 

She's been getting on your nerves for a while now, so just delete that negative stuff out of your life!

[Batya33]

Oh totally hit the DE-FRIEND button on this one!

 

She's been getting on your nerves for a while now, so just delete that negative stuff out of your life!

 

So the thing is I do want to know what's going on with her and her family and once she started that political profile (the separate one) I figured the hateful posts would stop. Guess not.

[JaggerJim]

I don't have facebook anymore, but when I did, I just started deleting people who offered no interest to me.

 

The thing is, sometimes it's better to just pick up the phone and call people for that one-on-one chat and you won't have to see all that political stuff. People certainly do act different online, than in real life!

[Batya33]

I don't have facebook anymore, but when I did, I just started deleting people who offered no interest to me.

 

The thing is, sometimes it's better to just pick up the phone and call people for that one-on-one chat and you won't have to see all that political stuff. People certainly do act different online, than in real life!

 

Yes - unfortunately little time to do that these days and my schedule is no longer conducive to the typical time I used to catch up with friends (at night). I completely take your point. It's just awful to see a random photo of a person she doesn't know and that kind of caption/quote - and this is a person who was bullied as a kid (so she says).

[itsallgrand]

It's so understandable why that would cause a strong emotional reaction for you. You have empathy for the person whose photo is being used that way. I don't think you are out of touch at all. I think some people have lost touch with how these are real people ! And it's hurtful.

 

I remember a situation here where a girls photo was used out of context like this, and without permission. She had passed away - I can only imagine her loved ones having to see that.