Fifteen Minutes of Privacy
I had taught a couple of classes about social media responsibility where I work. It's one of the most fun things I get to do, as every quarter, I find myself sharing different case studies on social media recklessness. There's that PBA fiasco, the amalayer thing, the one about celebrities and the list goes on. I always use a mainstream example to drive home a point to always remind my students {and myself!} to filter what we put out on social media.
This video by TED of Juan Enriquez, is yet to be my favorite material:
I sincerely hope that you get to watch it, because it can be truly mind boggling and scary creepy at how one click, a person has access to the lives of anyone s/he pleases to stalk. If you have learned over the years that you know so much about someone, one way of looking at someone knows so much about you, too.
It is scary. And to quote Mr. Enriquez, Andy Warhol may not be as right anymore. We all now have just fifteen minutes left for privacy and the rest --- well, the rest is just one Google away.
This leads me to the pressing issue of Jeane Napoles and the current issue her family, especially her mother, Janet Lim - Napoles is facing. I wouldn't go into the details of the alleged scam {though I am studying pork barrel stuff BECAUSE it is every Filipino citizen's job to care, after all} but it's interesting to note how Jeane Napoles' social media accounts led to her "online" damnation, if that is a term. {LinkedIn,Tumblr} Her Instagram, prior to her shutting it down, opened a dam of lavishness for the whole country to see. In a second, her whole life, all her material possessions, whether legit or not, were brought to the public's eye.
We don't know yet what is to happen on this PDAF scam. I am convinced that JLN Group of Companies needs to be looked into, after all she conducts business with the Philippine government {one look at the website and well, see for yourself} but hey, that is not my job and I'm withholding judgment on what I don't need to judge. I don't know when it will progress as Justice
Secretary Leila de Lima halted the probe on this issue. Hopefully, no one forgets about it. Juan Enriquez is right. One may only have fifteen minutes of privacy. So choose the things you post online. Everything will be your digital tattoo and will outlive you, too.
PS: I know everything in our social accounts should be our own individual concerns but as I always tell my students, if you can't defend your statements or status in court, you should think about saying it at all.