Swing, batter batter batter….swing, batter.
Grady Sizemore took photos of himself in nearly naked states of undress, sent them to his girlfriend and then they were “leaked” to the internet…
…and nobody cared. (Corrected: …and nobody cared except for Grady Sizemore groupies.)
In one entire day, not a single “Sizemore” related joke was told in my presence. None of the people I follow on twitter made one. None of my friends on facebook made a pun on his last name. It didn’t exist.
Everybody will be naked
There’s a certain point, which I’m sure we have passed, when so many people have had their nude photos leaked/stolen/sold/whatever that it just doesn’t matter.
Recently, one person I knew argued: the more people who post nude photos of themselves, the less nude photos matter. While I guess this is a voting for shoes approach, it’s not one I’m planning to pursue. I’m not enough of an exhibitionist, thank you! (And you’re welcome!)
It gives me pause, however, because it shows how technology is changing our world. On facebook, people I knew 20 or 30 years ago (hi!) are my friends. I haven’t seen them since the 1980′s in many cases, yet I see their posts about life and they see mine (hi!). What does this mean?
I think there’s some good to this, but at the same time I’ve lost some amount of privacy by participating.
Leaked photos, as with poor Mr. Sizemore, are one example. Everybody has heard a story of college kids losing job offers when photos of wild parties are found. Facebook status or twitter updates are another step-down, but if I write about the sublime drink that I was served at the Greenhouse…will somebody assume I’m a drunk?
To be clear, I’m not playing the slippery slope game. Each of these things has a specific affect on those who witness what we share.
What I’m saying is that there is a price to participate and that price is not money, it’s information. To get information we need to share it. To share it means sharing a bit of ourselves with the world. The question is whom are we trying to affect and what is the affect we desire to create? The other question is “what happens when we no longer control what we’ve created?”
Notes:
- This post is inspired by a post on Organic Mechanic.
- Also, this book called The Naked Crowd: Reclaiming Security and Freedom in an Anxious Age
was somewhat inspiring for this post.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I just took a look at Grady Sizemore Pictures .. Well .. he’s hot (- me blushing
-)
Brittany Binger should date him again so we can see a part 2 to the pictures.
hi!
Lidya – Yes, Sizemore is in amazing shape. I really wish I had pursued a career where my “job” was working out and staying fit. I didn’t though. :\
And even if “part 2″ of the photos were released, I doubt people would be making a big deal about them.
After some of the leaked photos and tapes that are out there, Sizemore’s photos are really pretty innocent. It certainly doesn’t have that sleazy feel that many of the others have…
In most of the photos of me on Facebook, I’m holding a wine glass. Maybe I should be concerned, but I’m not.
When I first started with the ‘online life’ thing, on discussion boards in the late ’90s, I took pains to hide my real identity. There was a vague fear around it. It was thrilling to meet fellow BBSers face to face and learn each other’s real names.
At some point I decided the risk was worth it. I wanted to use the technologies to meet people and make friends. That means gaining trust. In order to gain that trust, I had to be honest and up front about who I was. And it worked.
It turns out there was very little to be afraid of. At least now. There may come a time when data mining makes our lives hell, but not yet.