Paparazzi, Big Brother or the Movie of Your Life

The upside of fame. You get to do what you want for a living. The downside of fame ... everyone knows your name, face, what you're doing, and where you are. You get to be photographed shoving eggs in your mouth for breakfast or followed when you grocery shop. The paparazzi are just downright intrusive. And it's not just the paparazzi, it's fans and social media and everything in between. I love how social media sites like Tumblr provide fan information about film, actors and artists. You will read and see photos and videos you've probably never seen before. On the flip side, the actors and artists have now lost their privacy just a tad bit more than they already had. Now add to this mayhem professional sites that show when, say, a movie is filming, and you can pretty much track down just about any actor or actress actively filming. Now mind you, I've only glanced at the sites via my Google Alerts, and up until recently was completely unaware of them. Then I noticed the level of details and information available. Even if you're not famous or you're like me working on high-profile projects, it's good to be aware of them so you can protect your privacy.

People wonder all of the time why I don't post my birthday, relationship status, or family information on social media. Well, the answer is simple: too much information in the public forum can be dangerous. You can get your identity stolen or someone can easily stalk you or your children. Don't blithely skip down the garden path and splatter your private and personal information all over social media. Also, if you're like me and connected to a couple thousand followers most of whom you know little if anything about, stay away from posting information particularly about your children. You just don't know who is lurking out there in cyberspace.

And if you've chosen a public life where the "paps" photograph your every move then I hope you grow a thick skin. I just can't imagine not being able to eat my eggs or oatmeal in peace. How Big Brother would it feel to have a camera aimed at your 24 x 7. And then imagine just how surreal it would be. It would be like you're living in your own life movie. Not appealing Friend-Os. Just saying ...