No blogs for me
THIS is not really a new topic but it is a topic that affects nearly all people though admittedly some more than others: social comment.
We are used to having instantaneous access to a variety of social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are the current “must have” connections to the rest of the world and, as if this isn’t enough, there are millions of blog sites to follow when you’re tired of posting your latest latte on line for your friends to see.
Now you are either a dedicated follower of these or, like me, have no interest or desire to share my every waking moment and emotions with my very best 394,000 closest and bestie friends.
I mention all this after the story or better described non-story of THAT holiday.
Nadia and Jimmy are enough for all those social media followers to recognise who I’m talking about.
To those who have more normal lives and don’t spend the whole of their day with noses buried in electronic devices and actually talk with others face to face, I’m talking about Jimmy and Nadia Bartel. Remember Jimmy?
Jimmy a former Geelong footballer — in fact one of my favourites — and Nadia, his wife, who apparently has a fashion blog — and why not? you ask.
Absolutely no reason at all, is my first thought but we’ll come to that later.
So, the story that has hit the media is that they went on a holiday without their two-year-old son.
No really, that is the whole story, until of course you factor in the dreaded social media people who obviously don’t have lives of their own.
This great example of the modern norm came to light when Nadia posted photos on her social media accounts; Jimmy likewise.
In fact, their social media feeds were filled with amazing snaps of their luxury child-free trip, and it annoyed a few of her followers.
It didn’t take long for some to question why they decided to travel without their two-yearold son Aston — and Nadia has been copping it.
One of her blog followers made the comment, “Wow, how do you guys do it. I could not leave my kid behind and go on holiday.”
That was enough to start an avalanche of comments across the Addy Facebook and other sites, though in fairness most were highly supportive.
Except for this one from Jono Pasquill: “Disgusting, must be nice to just be a parent when it suits you. Better not have any more as it might cramp your lifestyle.”
A quick look at his Facebook page reveals nothing. No friends, nothing about himself and no photograph of him.
An anonymous person with a Facebook page specifically created so he could post comments without fear of being recognised or even minimally held to account. The classic cowardly web warrior.
Of course, as with any nonstory, there are two or even three sides to every one.
Firstly and for whatever reason Jimmy and Nadia choose to live and share their lives online and no doubt make full commercial value from doing so.
Secondly, nearly all the comments are directed at Nadia and not Jimmy, the implication presumably being that it is solely the mother’s concern regarding child care matters. Last is the thought that responsible parents just don’t go on holidays without their children. Had my wife and I had the chance for a child-free break we would have been off like a shot. Yes, we love our children but let’s get real about this. We unfortunately didn’t have the required support network in place for this to happen but, had we done so, watch out, Maldives, here we come. Despite being in the communications and media industry for longer than I care to remember I am extremely selective in my news input and output. I don’t do social media simply because I value some sort of privacy and have no desire to live my life online. I also have no interest in other people who live their lives online either and automatically consider any that do as being not the sort of people I would want to have a drink with. So, no blogs from me, no active Facebook pages, twitters or Instagram. I can only assume that Jimmy and Nadia just look at the latest exposure and think, ‘Well, that didn’t do our joint profiles or bank accounts any harm, did it?’ I’m sure they sucked up the added attention like commercial strength vacuum cleaners.