AIBU to think that announcing on Facebook the details of a random act of kindness you committed kind of cheapens the deal?

[JamieFrasersMistress]

This will probably court controversy but, hey, this is Mumsnet!!
A facebook friend has recently updated their status with a long story of how they encountered a random stranger on a train who seemed distressed and this friend has taken great care to give details of how they comforted, assisted, supported and directed this person to somewhere they could potentially be helped. The story was peppered with the grateful remarks of the person they helped and made it quite clear that the helper went quite a lot out of their way to provide this assistance.
Whilst, obviously, I commend the individual for doing the right thing, I can't help thinking "why did you feel the need to announce to all and sundry on social media that you did this?" It sticks in my craw somehow and it makes me feel that what should have been a truly noble deed has become exploited as a vehicle for self aggrandisement. To me it cheapens the deal and although the recipient will probably never know I would hate that they ever thought that their misery was used to ostensibly promote another's image. Don't they say that a true act of kindness is committed without expecting thanks or recognition?
Or am I just being a wee bit sensitive?

Yes yes yes. I am a church going and it even more rife in church than Facebook. I get that sometimes it’s means to encourage or perhaps show the impact one person can make. Like you feel a prompting to visit someone and turn up to find their house has burnt down or something equally dramatic or you felt the need to take a different route home and came across a neighbour/friend broken down at side of the road. Sometimes it’s nice to Hear those experiences.

But most of them are stealth boasts and really obvious ones. We have someone who feels the need to start every story with “I don’t say this to boast” well actually clearly you are. LOL

Saying that, almost everyone is guilty of something annoying in Facebook, especially those in the extremes of “everything is always wrong” people or the “I’m so blessed” people. I am all for being real and for being grateful, but sometimes it’s exhausting to have those people. I am know I am annoying in Facebook for posting a million photos and posting too much in general lol.

Totally agree. Our local community page on Facebook has had a few posts like this recently about two homeless men in town. Some comments have been people offering things to try and help, which has been kind. But one or two have been in the vein of ‘I’ve just bought x a coffee and a sandwich’ and are clearly just boasting. There was one woman who really annoyed me last week by posting about how she’d stopped for a chat and we all needed to be kinder. I probably sound like a cow, but the tone of some of these posts has been so holier than thou. I have nothing against helping these blokes, but some people are just using it to make themselves look good!

I would not criticise the person who did the good deed because the most important thing about it is that she actually helped.

YANBU. I saw a post once about a guy who went to a prom with a young lady who happened to have downs syndrome.

'what a great guy I am'

It really upset me. She has every right to go to prom with any date, I hope she didn't see the condescending and patronising post.

If you're doing whatever to post on Facebook it's not an act of selflessness.