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Childbirth video: these mothers who publish the birth of their child on the Internet
With the Internet, the barrier between the private and public spheres is increasingly thin. Whether on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter … Internet users do not hesitate to show their daily life, and even the most intimate moments. We remember, for example, this Twitter employee who had tweeted her birth live. But Internet users do not stop at personal messages and photos. When you type the query “childbirth” on YouTube, you get more than 50 results. If some videos, produced by professionals, are intended to inform Internet users, other users just share the birth of their child with the whole world, like the Australian blogger who runs the “Gemma Times” channel. , on which she talks about her life as a mother. His fans were able to follow the birth of his little Clarabella minute by minute. Gemma and Emily, two British sisters, also caused controversy across the Channel by posting both the video of their childbirth on the Internet. Once again, nothing escaped the Internet: pain, waiting, deliverance … “I find it great that many people have witnessed that”, had even confided Gemma. More recently still, in July 000, dad posted on social media about his wife’s express delivery in the car as he drove her to hospital. The video has been viewed over 15 million times.
In video: Live birth: when parents reveal the birth of their child on the web
But what about such a spread of privacy on the Internet? According to sociologist Michel Fize, “this reflects a need for recognition”. “I would even go further by speaking of the need for existence,” continues the specialist. People say to themselves “I exist because others will watch my video”. Today, it is the gaze of others that matters ”. And for good reason, to be seen is to acquire a certain social recognition.
Make the buzz at all costs!
As Michel Fize explains, on the web, Internet users are trying to create a buzz. “If it is Mr. So-and-so who is simply carrying his baby in his arms, it is of no interest. It is precisely the sensational and extraordinary nature of the video that is important. This is the only constraint of visibility. And the users show their imagination, ”explains the sociologist. Social networks have changed our perception of seeing things and our life. “These allow anyone to post anything like these intimate childbirth scenes,” adds the specialist.
But that’s not all, with You Tube, Facebook or even Instagram, “we are entering a system of extreme equality with the stars. Whether you are famous or not, you can publish photos of your childbirth. It started with Elisabeth Taylor in the 1950s. We can also quote Ségolène Royal, who published images of the birth of her children in newspapers. In fact, what was reserved for high society is now accessible to all. Indeed, if Kim Kardashian gives birth on TV, everyone can now do it.
The right of the child “violated”
On the Internet, the images remain. Even when deleting a profile, some elements may still resurface. We can then ask ourselves if growing up, having access to such images can have a negative impact on the child. For Michel Fize, it is “an outdated discourse”. “These children will grow up in a society in which it will be normal to share their whole life on the Net. I don’t think they will be traumatized. On the contrary, they will certainly laugh at it ”, indicates the sociologist. On the other hand, Michel Fize points to an important element: that of the rights of the child. “Birth is an intimate moment. The baby’s best interests are not taken into account when choosing to publish such a video. He was not asked for his opinion. How can we do this without the consent of another human being, who directly involves him, ”wonders Michel Fize. He also advocates a more restricted use of social networks. “One can wonder how far people will go, to what extent they will spread what is in the private sector. Becoming a parent and giving birth is a personal adventure, ”he continues. “I think that everything which is in the register of childbirth, in our Western societies, in any case, must remain of the order of the intimate”.
Watch these deliveries posted on Youtube: