Carmichael dad live streams son’s birth to online scorn

A Carmichael man live-streamed the birth of his son on Facebook earlier this week and unleashed a flood of online reaction.

According to his Facebook page, Fakamalo Kihe Eiki used “Facebook Live” - one of the social media company’s newest features - to share the happy moment with the world Monday morning. About 2,000 people tuned in to the 45-minute video while it was live, but more than 106,000 have seen it since. Eiki could not be reached for comment.

“I aired it live because people would rather talk about Donald Trump’s hair than the blessings in life,” the man posted on his page Tuesday. “Get real, people.”

In an earlier post, he wrote, “Disney Channel is more explicit than the video of my son’s birth.”

Dozens of news outlets around the world have posted articles about the video, which has been widely criticized on Facebook and in online forums. It’s raised questions about the use of the new Facebook feature, and what should be considered too private to post.

“Unreal! Why would anyone think perfect strangers should be welcome during such a special occasion?” said one Facebook commenter in reaction to an article about the video. “Are people that desperate for attention? If so, you are getting it for all the wrong reasons.”

“Labor shouldn't be on Facebook or any site. Totally personal,” wrote another.

This story was originally published May 17, 2016 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Carmichael dad live streams son’s birth to online scorn."