AIBU Niece did a 'reactions' haul video for 18th birthday presents...

[Bellasblankexpression]

I don't know if I am out of touch with the youth of today [I'm only in my 30s but I feel seriously old right now despite working in social media] but I'm feeling pretty offended by this.
My niece turned 18th recently so we all spent a little extra and got her something from a list she provided.
We got her a necklace she'd asked for, for example, but other people couldn't afford to splash out and got vouchers or something smaller.
She's recently become very active on Youtube and Instagram, which is fine and pretty usual, but she saved all her presents from her birthday bbq as she said she wanted to open them later - again, fine.
However the real reason she wanted to open them later is because she wanted to open them during a video and show her live reactions to them, rating them with a thumbs up or thumbs down and saying things like 'Thanks but not thanks Auntie XXX'

I wasn't aware of the video until she shared it on her Facebook page - she's friends with lots of family members on there so people will have seen it. My mum isn't on Facebook but heard about it [her present got a thumbs down] and is mortified and really hurt.

I want to say something to her mum about it but DH thinks I should let it go and not get involved.

What would you do?

Of course they are Bella but it's all about appearances. A fake, contrived 'thumbs down nana to your crap present' would have gone down like a sack of shit with followers who are more savvy and less gullible than they used to be so I'm not surprised she took it down.

I'd not say anything. She's trying to fit in. She doesn't really mean it, she's trying to be cool and popular and get those golden "likes" and "followers". I'm 30 and glad I ditched social media last year it's a vile place.

See, I find social media to be a pretty nice place, but that's because I follow nice people. I have several thousand followers on one particular platform but I've accrued with no proactive effort on my part and by and large I still find it a pleasant experience. I don't follow any 'influencers' and I don't care whether anything I post gets liked or shared.

Social media is not the problem. People are the problem. People who I wouldn't like on social media are exactly the same people I wouldn't like in real life.

I would also add that just because someone 'doesn't mean it' it doesn't make it OK for them to do it. And furthermore, if she wants to be an influencer she's been pretty silly because one of the biggest things that alienates influencers from their followers is behaving in a way that seems spoilt and ungrateful.

I’d be so hurt and upset if someone did that to me. I’m mid thirties by the way if that makes a difference.