Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

another facebook one

44 replies

cleofatra · 30/12/2013 22:40

WTf is it with all of these missing persons posts? AIBU in thinking this is just ridiculous??

(Recent trend to post missing persons info all over fb)

OP posts:
MrsPennyapple · 30/12/2013 22:54

YABU. Their families probably don't think it's ridiculous.

notundermyfoof · 30/12/2013 22:55

I think its just that people are realising what a useful tool facebook is for getting the word out, its a good thing imo. If you don't want to see it you can always hide or defriend but I bet you'd be grateful for people sharing your pictures if one of your loved ones was missing.

MuttonCadet · 30/12/2013 22:59

I agree that it's useful, but you need to be sure that it's a missing person, not that someone is searching for a person / family that needs to remain hidden for very valid reasons.
I share all the ones that are posted from the police forces, but I'd only share a personal one if I knew the circumstances.

sooperdooper · 30/12/2013 23:05

YABU a young lad went missing and his body later found in Manchester over Christmas, sharing the information about where he'd last been seen might help find out what happened to him, such a tragedy

Original poster
cleofatra · 30/12/2013 23:06

I seem to have a huge influx with people posting one or 2 a day.

OP posts:
Original poster
cleofatra · 30/12/2013 23:08

sooperdooper would you think it would have helped with people who dont even know the missing person or their family, or even live in the area had fb'd?

OP posts:
SwedishEdith · 30/12/2013 23:24

Some of their friends might live in the area though.

Twattyzombiebollocks · 30/12/2013 23:28

I think on the whole it's a good idea, but I do think it gets a bit silly when it's a 6yo boy in Aberdeen and within half an hour it's been shared in Cornwall. i mean really, 800 miles in half an hour would good going for superman. Sometimes I think people just like to click share to be seen to care.

MuttonCadet · 30/12/2013 23:28

I posted that one because I knew it was genuine (linked by a mutual friend of his cousin), and I shared because I have friends who live in the local area.

You never know who your friends might be linked to.

What I really object to is "share this picture if you love your kid / sister / brother / parents / hamster / tortoise" etc

RestingActress · 30/12/2013 23:29

I think its a really good use of social media. A friend's colleague went missing a few weeks back, she was dependent on meds and didn't have them with her. She was found because she was recognised from the pictures on FB.

What is frustrating is where people don't check back to the source to make sure that it is a missing person. A friend posted one that originated in the States months ago and the person had sadly been found dead - imagine how horrific that must be for his family to suddenly come across notifications on your post that had been shared a long time ago. But then most people don't check the validity of most of the crap on there, like the coughing to stop a heart attack / gang initiation stuff that just gets circulated.

Mabelface · 30/12/2013 23:31

I will share missing people if it's been released by the police/child alert thingumajigs, or in the instance of the young man found dead today. It's a very, very useful tool and has certainly helped find people. I'm with Mutton on the love your kid ones.

tracypenisbeaker · 30/12/2013 23:32

Imo anything that raises awareness and would even slightly raise the chance, no matter how slim, of a missing person being found is ok in my book. If it was someone you loved you would do anything in your power to let Joe Bloggs and his dog know to keep an eye out, and you know it OP.

Hemlet · 30/12/2013 23:34

If it upsets you do much, hide the post. Don't object to others trying to spread the word. Yabu.

notundermyfoof · 30/12/2013 23:34

When someone disappears the family often have no idea whats happened, if they have had an accident, been taken against their will or run off somewhere. They could be anywhere so the message needs to be spread everywhere. I have fb friends all over the place as do most people I know, I may not be local to the missing person but some of my fb friends might be. There was a missing teen a few months ago who was spotted by someone who recognised her from a picture on facebook and called the police, I bet her family would disagree with you!

Original poster
cleofatra · 30/12/2013 23:36

I guess it seems more odd to me as the majority of my fb friends are international

OP posts:
Alisvolatpropiis · 30/12/2013 23:37

Yabu

It's not one of those "like if you hate cancer" posts that so annoy me. What are they about. Nobody thinks cancer is a good thing.

It's a serious issue. Missing people are er,missing. Their families don't know where they are or why they have gone. In those circumstances it doesn't really matter if the person reposting doesn't know the missing person. It's raising awareness and potentially the chances of the person being found.

perplexedpirate · 30/12/2013 23:38

That's a good point about only doing police ones Mutton.
Could be anyone, I suppose.

sockssandalsandafork · 30/12/2013 23:40

yabu.

Redhibiscus · 30/12/2013 23:40

The only thing you can do when a relative/friend goes missing is get their photo to as many people as possible and to tell their story. I was absolutely appalled at how difficult this was when a close family relative was missing, several years before Facebook/Twitter launched. The local press didn't want to know, until the person was found -by then it was too late -photos plastered all over the front pages, press intrusion, you name it. Facebook and Twitter is the obvious route to obtaining the attention that is sadly needed in these situations. If it clogs up a few news feeds in the process, I can guarantee to you, the family members won't have room in their minds to care about that.

Utterly · 30/12/2013 23:42

YABU

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 30/12/2013 23:42

The manchester lad who disappeared, and whose body has been found, is a close family friend of someone I know quite well. They were worried sick about him, and are now devastated.

I have no issue whatsoever with social media being used to try to locate missing persons. If even one gets back to their family, it is worth it.

Original poster
cleofatra · 30/12/2013 23:44

I saw it as rubber necking but, if I lived local, I can see the points above.

OP posts:
DancingInTheSnow · 30/12/2013 23:44

At least yours are missing persons. My newsfeed is filled with missing/stolen dogs and horses.

Original poster
cleofatra · 30/12/2013 23:45

I have them too dancinginthesnow

OP posts:
Joysmum · 31/12/2013 03:40

Shaking my head in disbelief here. You share what is important to you and ignore what isn't.

If you've got somebody who continually clogs up your news feed with stuff you don't relate to and it's irritating you, you change your settings so they don't in future. What is the big deal? Different people do different things.

I will share things local to me and about missing cats and horses too as I relate to these posts.