'AITA for exposing my mother's creepy internet behavior?'

In this family dynamic, tensions have arisen over a cultural generation gap and differing views on social media behavior. A 33-year-old woman, living abroad, finds herself in conflict with her 68-year-old mother, who uses a secret Instagram account to monitor her daughter and follow selected cooking and baking profiles. The mother, adhering to conservative values, disapproves of her younger cousin’s burgeoning career as an Instagram influencer in their Middle Eastern and Muslim community, believing it exposes her to moral peril.

The situation escalated when it was revealed that the mother had created a fake persona to follow her cousin, pretending to be a sympathetic acquaintance in her 40s. Upon learning of this deception, the daughter confronted her mother, criticizing the deceitful behavior as “creepy” and likening it to catfishing. She argued that her cousin, despite being savvy about social media, would not confide in a stranger asking intrusive questions.

The daughter’s objections were rooted in her belief that her mother’s actions crossed boundaries and failed to provide genuine support to her cousin, who had faced adversity after losing both parents at a young age. She pointed out that her mother had been absent during the cousin’s difficult times but now felt entitled to guide her through an online alias. The daughter expressed her disapproval, suggesting that if her mother wanted to offer guidance, she should do so openly and honestly as an aunt, rather than through deceptive means.

The mother, upset by her daughter’s reaction, withdrew from the conversation, leaving the family divided. While the daughter believed she was right to call out her mother’s behavior, her father and brother felt she had been too harsh in her criticism.

Ultimately, the incident highlighted broader cultural and generational differences regarding privacy, social media usage, and the appropriate boundaries for online interactions within their family. It underscored tensions between traditional values and modern realities, leaving unresolved questions about how best to navigate these conflicts while respecting individual autonomy and familial relationships.

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