Peek-A-Boo……….I Don’t Want To See You
I See You….You See Me. So What’s It Really Going To Be ?
Anywhere we walk, talk, drive, or sit, short of actually taking a ____, the chances of your every move constantly recorded whether directly or indirectly is newsworthy and reported. Things that make you go hmmm. Who does that? We have to ask ourselves is it such a good thing? This topic has been discussed before because one of two things had occurred. With internet usage, it has gotten out of hand. People are photo-dependent, camera-happy for any and every little thing to the point that it has become extremist. On the flip side, internet usage has also provided a helping hand in terms of dispensing invaluable insight and information, promotion of pro-social events, and community awareness. I will thumbs up that portion.
Yet and still, we need to take inventory of what we deem confidential and personal. We have to draw a line in the sand that establishes where public borders on nuisance and harassing; where public ends and private begins. Respect and privacy appear to have been gradually chipped away, by the minute. Segments of our society are a definite and contributing factor who make no apologies because there is a potential profit factor.
Although there are those whose lives are an open book right down to the intimate details, which wet someone’s appetite for insatiable nonsense, it does not bode well with the rest of society seeking some semblance of privacy, which is reasonable and expected, in a public setting. Citizens should be afforded that. But it has created a clash culture. Those for it and those against it.
Imagine the humiliation and shame one may feel when they discover that a private gesture becomes public fodder for discussion and debate. It has happened before and unfortunately, shows no signs of slowing down. I would venture to say that it is heavily encouraged to some degree by opportunists, willing to wrestle that bear for the chance to bare all and do whatever it takes to secure press. Let’s delve a little further.
There have been those who managed to take an embarrassing, uncomfortable intimate, situation and convert it into a career-winner, Ching Ching…with high-paying dividends. Still, there is a price to be paid and you have to assess if the price tag attached is worth forking over your price of freedom, invasion, privacy, and overall peace.
Here are some friendly tips to consider; for turning a once-private moment, now made public, back into a secure, safe uncompromised space, devoid of a photographer feeding frenzy, that is later uploaded to social media sites.
1. Be conduct-conscious. Keep your hands to your sides or gently relaxed in a non-threatening stance. This way, if someone with a listening or capture-on-camera device walks by, they have nowhere to go, because you never gave them a show.
2. Should someone decide to tape you, unbeknownst to you, or record you directly in your face, cite a piece of the Preamble to the Constitution along with the Bill Of Rights that you retain as a private citizen. (Now, some video-vultures, will not be phased by it, but it does not hurt to try it) If you speak with poise, confidence, and an elevated knowledge base, that alone may send some amateur video hound an incentive not to stick around.
3. Shock value is often something Social Media supporters thrive on. If there are those in heavy pursuit of you or someone in your circle, the phrase “bored to death” could be effective. Now, allow me to preface this by saying, I don’t literally mean advocating murder. However, if people are determined to have your face on their photos and your conduct on their camera, the element of surprise could be effective. Speaking on topics that are so unbelievably boring, or engaging in conversation that is ego-centric, tends to be a turnoff. Well, bingo…that is the goal, to turn people off and have them turn off their technology.
4. Fight photo with photo. If you are afforded a glimpse when someone photographs you, return the favor and do likewise unto them. This may encourage such people to be mindful of their conduct.
All in all, social media can still be a wonderful platform sans the peek-a-boo factor. Most individuals know their personal limits.
Therefore, it is important that we set and honor those limits.
Families have been destroyed because of dishonesty and deception; courtesy of services via Social Media. Hitting the “Send” button may result in activating the “Unfriend” button. If we would like to initiate and resume control over Social Media activity, we must be proactive and take the reigns from these criminal-minded individuals who have ruined our reality and poisoned our presence with the flick of a capture on film device. They have achieved this via IP on-screen personal computer infiltration, crafty phone apps, high-tech. Ipods and hand-held tablets.
Facebook has had to face the music as its creator, Mark Zuckerberg, has sat through multiple Senate Committee Hearings to address some of the Social Media Platform’s past practices. Even though he sold the platform for a hefty price tag, he retained the title of the CEO, so as to not give up sole power for what he conceived. Thus, he had to answer the tough questions, acknowledge problematic occurrences with the platform, and provide resolve suitable to the ears of the Senate Committee leaders weighing in. That is a sweat-inducing moment. Though what actually happens and how effective it is remains to be seen over the long haul.
In the interim, stay grounded, focused, and fixated upon personal goals, without being showcased in unflattering print that tarnishes an image and sells out your souls.