PUBLIC VERSUS PRIVATE

In the Internet age, anyone can be an instant celebrity. With a thousand friends on Facebook and a million followers on Twitter, a person can broadcast every thought, deed and opinion. And celebrities get to use the same media to appear more accessible and interactive with their fans. The gap between ordinary & extraordinary is blurring....so-called ordinary people may display extraordinary talent or perspectives and at the same time the celebrities we brand extraordinary can share personal details that tell us that they can be ordinary too.

Social equalisation is on in full swing and regular people are discovering the secrets of image management just as celebrities (and “their people”) are discovering what it really means to get real. The narrowing of this gap has meant that no one knows any more where to draw the line between private and public.

Miley Cyrus has used her experience with Twitter to create this video. As she said to David Letterman on his show, “You can’t complain, about like ‘Oh I don’t have a private life and I’m so upset – paparazzi are following me everywhere’ if you’re going to tell them where you’re going.”



Sharing a personal movie review, photographs from a glamorous event, updates on the latest antic of a child or pet all seems innocent enough. But we’ve all heard the stories of people getting fired for Facebook posts or celebrities caught in a controversy over their Twitter updates. And of cyber-bullying, where anything you share could make you a possible target. It’s exciting to get instant responses & to have made a favourable impression but it’s also stressful & painful to be ignored or ridiculed just like in the offline world.

People who have no qualms about ignoring people in the offline world are suddenly beset by fears of appearing rude online! It seems that social media is the latest balm for achingly lonely people everywhere – if you wake up in the middle of the night needing to talk, you may fear to wake your spouse or call a friend at an awkward time. Or if you want to ‘share anonymously’ the things you can’t in person, there’s always the stranger online who can help you feel less alone.

We’re all in the same boat, craving attention and connection but afraid to put it all out there. What we cannot say face to face to one person, we are broadcasting to millions online in the hope that someone may understand. Hiding behind a computer makes it feel easy but ultimately, we are making ourselves more vulnerable than ever before. What’s personal may not be private anymore.