Come to think of it for a minute, in this day and age of social media and technology, everyone is a 'public figure'. What I mean by this is that, anyone and everyone has the opportunity to be a public figure. With the facility and tools that we have today, our profiles are all being posted on the world wide web. Such postings do indeed make each and everyone individual a '
public figure'. This arrangement is not a direct one for those who wish to be on the limelight, but rather takes a softer approach.
I would like to reaffirm the statement above with the
decision of a Judge from Florida, where by being mentioned on the net can indeed make you a public figure. Public figures are usually categorised as politicians or celebrities, but so as long as there is a substantial presence, debate and contribution on your part, you too can be categorised as a 'public figure'. Please note that there can be serious legal implications for publishing such material on the internet, where the information or material might be untrue or one that tends to tarnish the
reputation of an individual, which might lead to a claim of
defamation.
Let's take a look at some of the Negative aspects of these developments.
Please note that when using the world wide web, you are crossing jurisdictions and breaking geographical barriers when communication or making contact with an individual or business.
First, some of these developments in the world of social media and networking are encouraging the 'death' of privacy laws. You might want to consider these questions:
1. What level of privacy should you anticipate from another individual online?;
2. What do others believe of your expectations?; and in addition to that
3. What would you consider as a reasonable expectation?
Secondly, more and more students and individuals are posting pictures of them comsuming alcohol, and some making references to drugs and sex, but what they don't realise is that these publications are permanent and that the world is 'watching' them. Some authorities have begun using these tools to help them in their investigation and have so far proved successful.
Thirdly, issues of information security, that involves spams and indetity theft occur all the time.
Fourth, there are sexual predators online who tend to prey on the 'weak', but where does this end?
You should know by now that Cyber Space is no Private Space! Anything and everything that you post online is visible to the whole world at large and such information might be abused and you might not even have the littlest idea on this.
Take for example, the trend of having online 'friends' on your facebook, myspace or friendster account might be a great thing, with the idea that the more 'friends' you have the merrier it is. Think again! A
British Judge in the UK has ruled that your "facebook friends" cannot be defined as "friendship in the traditional sense". Such friends might turn out to be stalkers and they might even start harassing you, just because they seem to 'think' that you are a 'friend' of theirs. Imagine having 1 million friend, do you think you will know all of them? Very unlikely. But then again, these are just some of the donwfalls of the developments of social media and networking. You should be responsible of your own actions and when dealing with people online.
However, this is not always the case. Having 'friends' can be a good thing as well if you were to look at it from the business point of view. Most online marketers, will applaud to this idea of having a huge fan base and being able to connect to a huge amount of people online. It provides them with a headstart and a platform for their business and it also enables them to provide information, suggestions and advice to people online and it makes them an authority or expert in their respected field.
The idea of having 'friend' in the business world is to leverage their existing connections. It helps someone in the business world to expand their connection and establish their presense online with like minded people, who can invite them to their events through social participation. This too makes an individual a 'public figure' if you are active with your networks.
Infact, I kind of like AirAsia's tagline: 'Now Everyone Can Fly', but I would like to rephrase it to: 'Now Everyone is a Public Figure', with the rise of Social Media and Networking, and this is evident today. Stating that, there might be many arguments, where some may agree with this statement, but, literally: You are a 'public figure'. Here are the question that you might want to ask if you are in the business platform:
1. Are you doing the right things and acting with integrity to be one?
2. Are you acting like a winner and a person with high ambitions and vision?
3. Are you serving and providing for your community?
4. Are you open minded and willing to take responsibility for your actions?
You must understand and realise that for you to be respectable and be looked upon a 'public figure' you must be someone who speaks with authority and substance. You can only keep their attention by writing and speaking with authority.
The world is a small place after all and you can build new relationships really quick and boost opportunities by building new bridges between people from all over the world. I believe that there are always pros and cons in everything, but where do you look for your solution? As an entrepreneur, I always look for opportunities and the bright side of things, even though sometimes it might not seem to be so, but it is always best to keep an open mind and be aware of the things that you do and the law of cause and effect for each and every action of yours.
