This is a question that is being asked since last Wednesday when a reporter Tweeted updates of a young boys funeral.
The Tweets can still be read here. The last Tweet reads "family members shovel earth into grave." Understandably, the twittering of the funeral has unleashed a firestorm of backlash. It raises the question of: what is appropriate, and what should you not Tweet?
My thoughts:
This is something that should not have been included on Twitter. While many Tweets are pointless, (posts about what you had for lunch or the weather, for example) this mixes pointless and offensive. Common sense should tell you that if the online community is interested in this story, they will want to read an article about it that can give the topic some depth and understanding. Simple Twitter posts, like this, come off as it is just a casual tech convention. This is a time for family and friends to grieve. It is not a time give the play-by-play on how they are reacting in 140 characters or less.
Sensitive topics should be dealt with sensitively. Twitter isn't the platform for funeral updates. This may be narcissistic, but I don't believe anyone wants to read a Tweet like this one: "the father is sobbing over the casket. 'I loved him,' he says. others are sobbing." Use common sense when Twittering.
