If you're any bit active on Twitter #planebae should not be a new thing. It's hit media everywhere, who are tut-tutting which is unusual when you consider that much of the media's current role is intruding into people's private lives (if it bleeds, it leads) and broadcasting it out everywhere without a thought of the collateral damage. This is opposed to watchdog, or public interest journalism that the media should be doing mind you, but that's a post for another blog.
As someone who has been online and "social" on blogs, Twitter and (to a much lesser extent) Facebook, Message Boards, Instagram (OK, barely) and Snapchat (hardly at all), this isn't the first time I've seen someone intruded upon to the point that they had to withdraw from all platforms.
It's voyeurism and it needs to stop. It's often done by "actors" of the Internet type who have a very slim CV on IMDb but the ability to add tags and squirrelly things to pictures and post them on line for all to see.
There was the case of Dani Mathers body shaming another lady in the gym which was ironic given her role as a "Playboy Model" and while most stories (rightly) involve advertisers, or data collectors scraping personal data, or hackers stealing it when the community cheers on bad actors acting in the same way they are probably unaware of just how hypocritical they are truly being.
After my initial foray into political-blogging, under the pseudonym "Sedosi Alhambra" I've always posted under my real name. In a way, I've been lucky, I've never been "Swatted" or "Doxed" which is probably more due to my relatively low readership and lack of importance online than any luck which I may, or may not, possess. I've chronicled my one time dealing with identity theft but that was more a crime of opportunity rather than celebrity.
Granted, a long time ago I had some weird guy create an entire blog (since deleted) to bash me over a simple mathematical error (instead of just pointing it out in the comments, which made me chuckle) and I once received an e-mail from some Houstonian saying only "You're a real asshole". When I asked for clarification he just said that my writing style made him hate me. Outside of that?
A few minor Twitter scuffles and.....?
Nothing.
And that's how it is for most of us. And that's honestly the way it should be. We shouldn't have to worry about having a good time, or getting just a little too tipsy, or meeting someone on a plane and having some Z-list celebrity chronicle it for page hits. We shouldn't have to worry about our dumb decisions (provided they're just dumb, and not criminal mind you) being broadcast for all to see.
The problem here is that many people view social media life as real life. They think that some anonymous troll on Twitter or, more likely, a bot speaks for the general public. A general public that, for the most part, either views social media as a lightly-used time-waster or (more likely) nothing at all.
MOST people aren't active on social media, 99.99999% of the American populace doesn't blog, or read blogs, yes, a lot of people go on Facebook but that's mainly to see how their Aunt in Iowa is doing, or to keep up with old friends from High School or College. Or, to post pictures of their kids that most of us don't want to see but reply to with "How cute" or other things. (usually followed by multiple exclamation points to really drive the cuteness home). In short, most people aren't on Social Media to become "Internet famous".
We should probably start ignoring the people who are. Start with the actor who started #planebae end with the Kardashian/West clan.
Trust me when I tell you your life will be much better for it.
And if, on your next vacation, you're tempted to take a picture of something besides yourself, scenery or good food you've eaten?
Don't.
Social Media will be all the better for it.
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