RESPECT PEOPLE'S PRIVACY WHEN SHARING CONTENT ON THE INTERNET

RESPECT PEOPLE’S PRIVACY WHEN SHARING CONTENT ON THE INTERNET

Everyone wants to tell stories these days and do so to the largest possible audience online. Due to the competition among all these story tellers, some circumvent the norms of decency by recording and exposing personal moments in the lives of others. This is very wrong. As in the traditional media, it is important to respect people’s privacy when sharing content on social media and other platforms on the internet.

Except someone is making a public display, like the fellows who do dramatic proposals, it is not proper to record ordinary people who are going about their businesses without their permission as part of online content creation.

Even if you’re not among those scrabbling for stories for commercial gain, respect people’s privacy in what you offer. If, for example, you are telling a story and want to use someone for illustration, consider omitting their name or using a pseudonym.

And it’s not only strangers you should respect their privacy. Friends and relatives also deserve to be consulted before you air their laundry in public, dirty or not. Have they given you permission to share their picture, expose their struggles and failings or even their achievements and successes?

RESPECT PEOPLE'S PRIVACY WHEN SHARING CONTENT ON THE INTERNET

Not everyone wants total strangers to know the details of their lives. Besides, you can hurt people deeply and complicate their lives when you share stuff about them or their loved ones insensitively and indiscriminately. For example, publicising someone’s ill health or death prior to an announcement by the family, especially when the person is not a public figure.

So while you’re striving to build your following by sharing original and “authentic” content, know the boundaries and keep them.

Lastly, you may wish to keep some aspects of your own life private. You invite too much scrutiny and heartache when you bring every aspect of your life into public view through online content creation. You give members of the public the license to pry and judge when you make yourself fair game like that and you know how brutal some of them can get.

The best approach is to choose what you want to share with the public and keep a tight lid and control over the rest of your life. I think that will better guarantee your peace of mind and help you find balance in your public and private life, rather than having everything about you on a giant public screen.

💖

This post was originally published on my Facebook page, Aunty Edith, and my Facebook group, Inspiring Quotes, Poems and Stories on Feb. 2, 2022.

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Credit for pic in feature image: Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels

70 comments

  • Nkan David

    Well said Ma….. There’s alot to be learnt from this post. Most people make post these days hurriedly, without paying attention to the most important details, which is respecting one’s “privacy”, all in the quest for commercial gain/ gaining the attention of others, thereby causing defamation sometimes.

    • Thanks for your comment. God bless you!

      • Amachaghi Goodness Akuchukwu

        Exactly people’s privacy shouldn’t be intruded because of some insensitive journalist seeking attention

        • Okwa perpetual chidimma

          Privacy is very secretive, that’s why people find it very tormenting when their privacy is invaded. In mass communication there’s law of invasion of privacy that protects people’s private life not to be invaded either by the media or anyone. There’s also right to private life and living, all these are put in place because human privacy must be respected.

      • Kalu Victory

        I definitely think it’s rude to share others’ details or moments on social media without their consent. It’s not only a violation of their privacy, but it also shows a lack of respect for them and their personal boundaries.

  • Goodness eze

    So many people like journalist would like to get a first hand Information not minding if those people will like it or not

  • Ede Ndidiamaka Patience

    Good advice!
    I wish everyone on the internet come across this content to know the implication of invading people’s privacy.

  • oforgu ifeanyi Augustine

    Presently that lifestyle is really shading away some morals.

    Many have that idealism to become like what they see online.

    But reality as well, is out to suffocate such fantasy.

  • To help achieve respecting people privacy on social media, permission should be taken from them at first.
    Some people are secretive while others are not.

  • Goodness Oluebube Nwaneji

    Most times, some of these content creators can be ignorant to the extent of not knowing what is private and what should be public.

  • Ezimora Reliance

    I must confess I am guilty of this. Most times I may have gone neck deep into a discussion when I bring up a story for illustration and mention names involved. I feel guilty when I recollect what I had said but it’s already out. I am, however, learning to control how much I say and trying extra hard to think before speaking.
    Thank you so much, ma, for this.

  • Nancy Njoku

    It’s necessary for everyone to know their limit while doing some certain things especially posting stuff about someone on social media without his/her consent .

  • Nnadi chimuanya marvelous

    It gets worse when you see celebrities who put their children in the eye of public scrutiny at a very young age. Most of those kids grow up with their everyday life in the news.

  • Udaya blessing Ngozi

    Mummy i so much love this as it explains the society we are into right now, where everyone wants to give first hand information or create content so as to gather followers online and not minding the effect.

  • Onyekachi Amarachi

    It’s even worse when you see celebrities who put their children in the eye of public scrutiny at a very young age.
    There’s alot to be learnt from this post.
    Most people make post these days hurriedly, without paying attention to the most important details, which is respecting people’s privacy.

  • People should learn to be reading things like this that can help them to grow mentally. Good articles that educate you on what is proper and improper. Kudos to you, Ms Edith. Thank you.

  • Egbue Precious

    That’s right always respect people’s privacy even your own

  • Okoye-azi Chiemerie Regina

    People really need to learn to respect the privacy of others. Privacy is indeed the key to ensuring human dignity and safety.

  • Ekeh Rosemary

    Thank you ma for this write up.
    People should understand that others have their own personal lives to live. So they shouldn’t go about exposing that personal life to the public without permission.

  • This is a great lesson to those people that create skits and memes without the other parties permission. Thank you ma for doing justice to this social evil

  • Agwuna kamsiyochukwu chidinma

    You can’t have total control of your life if you are always posting your personal business online. This was a great piece. Thank you ma.

  • Amara Ikwueze

    This is a very timely post because this is exactly the society we live in today. People making memes with people’s faces without there permission is very absurd and this practise should be stopped. Thank you ma for doing justice to this social evil

  • GABRIEL JESSICA

    Such an amazing post❤️ thank you Ma

  • Utazi Ogochukwu Immaculata

    I love this article. Many bloggers out there need to see this to know that most of their post are really harmful.

  • Assumpta Anachu

    Most times people do not know where to draw the line when it comes to being “authentic” and end up just revealing TOO MUCH

  • Ifechukwu Izueke

    Noted📍📍 ask for permission before sharing contents about people

  • Nwachukwu Rejoice chinaza

    Privacy is actually important
    People need to read this to see how important privacy is I think it we reduce invasion of privacy

  • Nwachukwu Rejoice

    True everyone privacy need to be respected no matter the age

  • Happiness Simon

    I learnt a lot from this write up. Indeed respecting people’s privacy is one thing journalists should consider before sharing content to the public.

  • umeaku obianuju

    I wish all these content creators will know what is private and want is meant to share to the public. Happy Sunday ma’am

  • So much moral loaded in this post. Exactly what is going on in our society. It very important we adhere to this as journalist or content creator. Intrusion to someone’s privacy is very uncultured. It also important we keep our private life private not to implicate and complicate matters in the society.

  • Chidimma Miracle

    Such an educative piece, i learnt that people’s privacy should be respected when posting things in social media and that posting every aspect of our out there is not advisable because it will bring unnecessary scrutiny.

  • Exactly people’s privacy should be respected because that’s one of human principles.

  • Eze Samuel Anayo

    It’s quite unfortunate that many content creators don’t know this. I wish this they can all see this.

  • Oma Esther

    Thank you so much ma for giving us the opportunity to read this . Honestly speaking the is one of the outstanding problems in the word today . Everyone wants to post something not minding what their creating and the consequences attach . Can they manage their life on air and the their normal life . Because whether we like it or not we are being influenced by the media everyday.

  • Ugwunweze Osmund Ogugua

    Indeed a great piece on why people’s privacy shouldn’t be intruded.

  • Chukwumezie Udochukwu Emmanuel

    This article gives credence to the statement ‘Privacy is dead, and social media hold smoking gun’ By Pete Cashmore. Indeed, it has become an urgent need to not only keep our private lives private but shield ourselves from the intrusion of others.

  • Robinson Mercy

    Thank you ma, alot of us in abid to create content share somethings thar the public don’t need to know and intrude on the privacy of others.

  • Bibian

    Sometimes, in a bid to report about an event that’d generate reactions, journalists end up trespassing. Which is not right.
    Thank you for pointing this out ma.

  • Okitor kosiso Faustina

    Well said. Alot of people just dont know when to keep shut or mind their business.
    It is really very upsetting

  • Okitor kosiso Faustina

    It saddens me how people just derive joy in blurring out other people’s businesses out.
    I mean if I trusted you with a secret I expect that it remains a secret.

  • Okitor kosiso Faustina

    People need to understand that even if there is a need to share someone else’s secret with another person, then the owner of the said secret should be informed

  • Okitor kosiso Faustina

    This post really teaches us to respect people’s privacy as mass communication students to avoid unnecessary drama in our lives with our future careers. It is really crucial to respect privacy because I know I wouldn’t want any personal information out to the public because of the carelessness of one journalist or the other.

  • Okitor kosiso Faustina

    As always Ms. Edith
    Your post is splendid and educational
    I look forward to reading more

  • Chukwuemeka Lydia Ogechi

    Everyone deserves their privacy, we should learn to consult people before sharing their private life to the internet. We should also be careful not to lose control of our life to the public. Thank you for this great piece

  • Odiase Osazee Erico

    When creating content or someone doing something in public doesn’t necessarily mean they want to be featured in a video of photo posted online, we must understand that if some is on public space don’t mean that he or she have wave right to privacy. Before writing about anyone of videoing the person his / her consent must be taken.

  • Gbatalibe uchenna Mildred

    Content creating has become the order of the day, for e.g a Nigerian artist who recently died ,a video of his head bent in the coffin was posted online which is not supposed.It was posted for content and to gain followers, people should know where the line is drawn . Thank you very much ma

  • Agha Onyinye Judith

    All skit makers and content creators need to read this! It is true, it is very true that not every event in your life is social media worthy. God bless the author.

  • Nnamani Chidibere John

    This article is spot on! I don’t really know the joy people get from invading others’ privacy for the sake of online content. Respecting people’s privacy is always vital whether you are a creator or just sharing stories with friends. Let’s all remember the golden rule: treat others how you’d like to be treated online!

    Thank you, Ma for sharing.

  • This piece of work is really good and educating to a news reporter or journalist because, people’s private life need to be respected and out from public.

  • Ogechukwu Joy Omeje

    There is a law to privacy and journalists should endeavor to abide by such laws.

  • Onyebuchi Nmesoma Happiness

    I believe what you want others to do to you, you do to them. So, if u dont like people posting things you deem private, you should also try to respect others’ privacy. Then you can be free and live a reputable life.

  • Nweke Blessing

    Thank you very much ma for this reminder.
    I would like to add in something.

    As much as it is important to keep our private lives and others’ private lives away from the Internet especially if we don’t have their permission, it is also very important to keep our immediate location away from the Internet. Many people have endangered their lives by taking pictures or making videos that suggest their location in real time and post them straight to the internet. We do not know who is watching but of course, someone is watching.

  • Omeh-williams Chekwube Dominion

    The message about setting boundaries between the public and private aspects of one’s life in the online sphere is particularly relevant. It serves as a valuable reminder that sharing everything can lead to undue scrutiny and potential emotional distress.

  • Ugwuoke Eurel Chikwendu

    Well said Ma…This serves as a crucial reminder of the ethical responsibilities involved in producing online material as well as the requirement to acquire permission before sharing other people’s personal experiences. It emphasizes how crucial it is to preserve privacy in the digital age.

  • Abugu Ijeoma Chinenye

    It is essential for everyone to know when to draw the line when they post on social media. What most people don’t know, is that some dangerous stalkers/criminals track their victims through their social media posts. So it’s important that discretion is always practiced amongst all internet users.

  • Uwannah Marvellous

    Boundaries should be kept and respected, people’s permission should be sought before exposing them to the public’s view
    People confide cause they trust you and not to be exposed just because you want to make your story line more interesting
    I think it should be included in the basic regulations for news writer
    This is an eye opener,thank you ma

  • Kosisochukwu divine Ndulue

    Very valid point ma…….it is very important for one to respect his or her private life and even other people’s life, because in today’s world people could use any information you put out there to there own advantage or to there own gain which might end up harming you in one way or the other

  • Most people are ignorant of the implications of posting people’s privacy on social media. Everyone desires and wants privacy so this should be respected. A nice piece and an eye opener, thank you Ma

  • Ogbu Chinyere Rosemary

    I wish that after reading this some people will learn to respect one’s privacy. The way most people are hungry for news this days is annoying that they end up posting what they shouldn’t post, this is so annoying.

  • Esogwa Jubilate Aghachiluru

    This is very timely and relevant as it is a scenario that is playing out often now. This is how some people have suffered negative consequences from having their personal information or images exposed online without their consent.

  • Okoye Paul Ketachukwu

    People should try and respect other people’s emotions especially when it comes to news that can demoralize them some people has been depressed because of a news about them that should be confidential shared in public bloggers should forget about fame and consider what damage it can do to someone.

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