Breast-Feeding "Lactivists" Revolt on Facebook
As Facebook becomes more popular, it's bound to have every move it makes more closely scrutinized. This week, the social networking site made a couple of such provocative moves, one of which will likely piss some people off, and another that is already drawing the ire of some Facebook members.
First up -- Facebook has decided to open members' public profiles to search engines such as Google and make it possible for anyone to find a profile without having to log in the site. On paper, this sounds like a major invasion of privacy, but remember, public profiles contain only a member's name, a friends list, and the option to poke (a mildly suggestive Facebook term for instant messaging someone) or add as someone as a friend.
Secondly, Facebook lets you know about this change the moment you log in, and makes it very easy to opt out completely. MySpace already lets you view public profiles without logging in, and professional social networking site Linkedin is searchable via Google and Yahoo, and a LinkedIn member's profile will often turn up early in search results.
The other move this week that has already stirred up some backlash from the Facebook community is the site's recent decision to start pulling down images of women breast feeding, since it considers these pictures to be "obscene content." This move has created a group of angry breast feeders and supporters who call themselves -- semi-wittily -- 'lactivists.' Some of these protesters have complained about the obscenity label and have said that since they don't show nipple, the photos aren't obscene.
The lactivists have created a group on Facebook that has already garnered 7,000 members, so it's only a matter of time before they cave on that one.
Considering the recent anti-Wal-Mart action and anti-HSBC protests that students recently staged online, it looks like Facebook is increasingly as much a site for social unrest as it is for social networking.
From Tech Digest and Tech Crunch
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
andrea @ Sep 7th 2007 2:55PM
works for me-- I don't want to see some woman breast feed-- I breastfed my kids- but did not take pictures of it. It is the poeple that are such activists that are ruining a good thing. Take the pictures off-- fine with me.
Patti @ Sep 7th 2007 4:25PM
I totally agree I am a facebook member as are my children I do not want them seeing these pix. I also breastfed but why do you want to post pix of that in the internet. I mean I pee too but if I posted that everyone would be screaming come on.
C. McCarthy @ Sep 8th 2007 2:52PM
I'd much rather my children see pictures of breast-feeding mothers than of people shooting each other.
I boggle at the attitude that a picture of such love and nurturing can be labelled 'obscene'.
J La Moure @ Sep 10th 2007 5:20PM
Relax, it's just a baby eating. If you don't like to look at pictures of breastfeeding mothers, don't look. Pretty simple. I don't look at pornography. If I accidentally run into something I don't want to see, I look away.
I personally think that the beautiful, natural image of a mother and child nursing is about as wholesome as a picture can get. IMHO, people who look at breastfeeding babies and see sex are a bit perverted. When you see a picture of kittens nursing does your mind automatically jump to two cats mating? I think, "Oh how sweet. Look what a good mommy Fluffy is."
Are breastfeeding supporters really the twisted ones? I think not.
Alaras @ Sep 12th 2007 3:22PM
As I like to say, violence is the REAL obscenity! I'm all for saying make f@#@, not war (or make love, whatever suits you other than war)...
sprtschik1 @ Sep 14th 2007 2:57PM
I don't want to see women breastfeeding it is disgusting. Another great birth control other than seeing birth. Forget the whole BS line of its a miracle and beautiful blah blah blah. Um how about NO! When I have children I am not going to want to be seen breast feeding let alone have pictures taken. And as for comparing it to a cat, just as disgusting.
Beth @ Jan 24th 2008 8:42AM
Wow, you people are ridiculous. It's unfortunate that we live in a culture that has so sexualized breasts that you think the image of a mother feeding her child is obscene. Do you also shield your children's eyes from a cow feeding its calves or a dog nursing its puppies?
cloeffler48 @ Jan 24th 2008 10:02AM
As a man, I am in total support of breast feeding - and for babies, too.
Kyla @ Jan 25th 2008 12:59AM
sprtschik1 says:
I don't want to see women breastfeeding it is disgusting. Another great birth control other than seeing birth. Forget the whole BS line of its a miracle and beautiful blah blah blah. Um how about NO! When I have children I am not going to want to be seen breast feeding let alone have pictures taken. And as for comparing it to a cat, just as disgusting.
With your attitude, I'm rather hoping you don't HAVE children. I doubt you'd appreciate them anyway, given that many of us consider them to be "miracles" too even though they occasionally get snotty, make messes and smell funny. Disgusting! :P
Raven @ Jul 23rd 2008 5:05PM
Ok... while I don't think that breastfeeding counts as "Obscene" ... I don't really want to see it, either. Who takes a picture of themself breast-feeding their kid anyway? Who thinks all their friends want to see that?