Snapchat, Snatchsnap. Time To Wise Up!

A Note To Youth Of Today

This snapchat shot was seen by over 20,000 people

I am writing this hoping you are well and with an even greater hope you can understand.

I was born to an era that didn't use mobile phones, had no great interest in computers as they were things the size of wardrobes, and to take a photograph you had to:

1. borrow the family camera 
2. ensure you had a film in it, praying like billio Mum had bought the expensive 36 exposure rather than the 24. 
3. get everyone possible to stand together for picture
4. Take photo.
5. when you had finished the amount of photo's in the camera (ie 24 or 36), go to town and leave film with a developer shop, or later in the 80's send in post in a little self sealing plastic bags.
6. Wait a couple of days
7. Go to town and pick up photos.

We didn't have an infinite number of goes.  We didn't take selfies, We took photo's of other people we wanted to remember.  We knew what we looked like.  Instead we tended to crowd as many of our friends into one shot as we could squeeze in.  

WE TOOK LOADS OF THESE

NONE OF THESE

I understand things change, progression happens, but some times, progression takes away.  It has taken away a lot from your generation.  One of those things is time to think, re-think and think again.  Today, you have instant everything.  Snapchat being the topic of this note. Nothing seems sacred any more, not even your own body.  Snap, click, send.  Photo now floating around the internet.

Whilst in a meeting the other day I heard about a young girl, around 14 years old, who decided to send a naked photo to her boyfriend on snap chat.  This is all well and good, it's to her boyfriend right  Really?  You think this is OK? You think at 14 years old having naked photo's of yourself floating around the internet is fine?  If someone had taken a naked photo of themselves at 14, in fact, even at all,  when I was a kid, we would think they had problems!  How has this become acceptable?

Next thing I have to point out is, sorry to deflate your love ideal balloons kids, but, most young teenage relationships last on average 1 - 5 months.  When relationships break down at this age, the best you can hope for is you remain OK friends, but, normally you end up detesting each other.  Now, think about it, do people who dislike you do nice things?  Are teenagers renown for their volcanic style emotions?  THINK.  Your  now enemy holds a naked photo of you/part of your body . . what do you think they are going to do with it?  Hmmm let's think a) just get rid of it b) keep it for old times sake (let's hope that computer never gets sent away to be fixed or c) internet shaming and the whole school and most of the world, now have access to this.  Oh and you do know who is at fault here don't you . . pfff no, not who you sent it to, YOU.  YOU TOOK THE PHOTO YOU DOLT!