The fact that douche-celeb Ashton Kutcher beat news channel CNN in a challenge to reach a million Twitter followers speaks volumes.
Social media “experts” will be the first to tell you that social media allows anyone to become a celebrity. A role/title previously reserved for the rich, famous, or video-taped.
The sound of the gun
“Tweet” is the sound the starting gun makes in a narcissistic race to see who wears the crown for the next 15 minutes. Don’t worry, no animals are harmed in the running of this race but privacy is left dead in the gutter.
And what are people willing to divulge?
Transparency makes you cool
Contestants are willing to put it all out there. Not just where they’re at, what they’re drinking, which establishments they frequent, or who they’re hanging out with but now… how much they’re spending and what they’re spending it on.
The cutely named service Blippy allows folks to tweet their credit and debit card purchases. Hook up your credit or debit cards to the service and with each purchase your transaction details are broadcast to the world. Awesome! Fucking brilliant, idea!
Think of the data profile that can be built on you.
How did it become okay?
How is that folks complain about their personal details being on some list that’s sold amongst marketing companies yet they’re willing to broadcast all that info to the world at large?
As the Blippy head honcho puts it, “Things people used to think were private aren’t any more.” And folks are eager and happy about that.
Check out the article in the WSJ.
Why is it that so many people are willing to bare it all in exchange for some virtual friendships?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I find this ironic in that the first thing that I did after reading this was to tweet it for everyone else to see.
You bring up VERY valid points. The days of Minority Report are coming…. unfortunately.
right, your digital footprint is something everyone needs to consider. and it’s not so much the vehicles (such as twitter) that are to blame… they’re simply enablers. it’s the recklessness with which they are used.
Couldn’t agree more…Social Media is an amazing vehicle for communication, building relationships, and marketing. But what will the long term effects be when so many people are willing to reveal TMI