“Privacy is the new celebrity.” – Ashton Kutcher, celebrity-turned-Internet mogul in an interview with Fast Company
In some ways, this quote is quite true. On the Internet, anyone can be a celebrity if desired. In fact, the social media business is making big money because of the users’ desires to use them as a tool to become more famous. People who want strong careers are encouraged to actively manage their online professional profile. On the other hand, celebrities are exerting massive efforts to gain more privacy. For example, Prince William vowing to sue any photographer who violates Kate Middleton’s, his girlfriend, right to privacy. He is still livid with the paparazzi linking horrid memories of Princess Diana’s, his late mother, death due to the car chase for photos of her and her date. For a visual example, take a look at the following video of Lindsay Lohan throwing eggs at paparazzi outside her house:
Celebrities and even high profile politicians employ decoys to divert paparazzi attention while they quietly travel to their real destinations. They will spend whatever surveillance technology required making them feel safe from the unwelcome cameras. This is quite opposite from the people who sell off privacy for other currencies, such as money, fun opportunities, etc. Some of the online publishing decisions are challenging to reverse. For example, if you actively use Facebook, it is challenging to remove your presence on the network even if you elect to delete your profile, as you have no control of what your friends’ posts of you. Therefore, it is more beneficial to keep your profiles at least for the purposes of controlling content.
There are some bloggers who blog under a pseudonym or pen name in the attempt to keep their anonymity. They often times publish opinions that would offend perhaps their superiors or other important corporate executives, potentially leading up to retaliation. However, these moves are often redundant as sooner or later your acquaintances could connect the dots tracing back to you, although you can always deny the claim. Still, such perceived protection mechanism does not really protect you, despite supposedly added anonymity. The key points are to maintain grasp of self-promotion strategies even if using real name. Hey, if you decide to become anonymous after becoming famous, you can always wear hats, shades, and hoodies, or get a plastic surgery!
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