Baby’s Digital Footprint

This is my Little-Guy!

I don’t think I will ever get over how cute he is!

Now, you may be wondering why an illustration? Why not post a photo of his cute little face? Why call him Little-Guy? This is a conscious decision my husband and I have made to limit his “digital footprint”. Our goal is to give him the gift of online-ambiguity :)

To this end, Ryan & I have decided to keep Little-Guy’s identity a secret on the internet. What does this look like? It means that we will not be sharing photos of his face, or his personal info online.

To achieve the gift of online-ambiguity, we need our loved ones to support & join us! We ask that friends and family please do not post: photos that include his face, his name, birthday, and other personal details…anywhere on the internet, including on social media. We thank them wholeheartedly!

We recognize it is a big ask for our family, which is why we are happy to share loads photos with family and friends, just through private channels only (i.e. texting, secure drives). Ryan and I are glad to share through these modes because they’re truly private and degrees more secure than the most “private” social media profile.

In addition to security and privacy, this gift of “online-ambiguity” will give him the opportunity to join the internet on his own terms, when he is ready to explore it. It is pretty wild to think back to the 2000’s, when I joined the internet, and reflect on the vast “nothing” the internet had to say about me. In retrospect, I realize it was a gift of sorts to have that choice. Now, I wish the same for my Little-Guy :)

One day, my Little-Guy will become curious about the internet and his place in it. We will have a chat about it then. Until that time, I will only share his cute face online through my illustrations :)