A life of celebrity is filled with endless perks, however in our current time where nothing is sacred, life in the public eye is synonymous with a life free of privacy.
Recent hacking of the cell phones of Mila Kunis and Scarlett Johansson are not all that shocking.
However Johansson has called in the FBI to get to the bottom of the release of her nude personal pictures to the world.
With all the dire issues of the world, why is the FBI working on removing nude photos from the Internet? Sure, she’s entitled to the same privacy we are, or is she?
Once someone steps from the life of a civilian into the spot light, there are some changes that need to be made.
Just as in any career, expectations are different while you are in a professional setting. The issue with celebrities, sports stars and politicians is that they never have the chance to separate their normal life with their public life; they are one in the same.
For a student who is looking forward to a successful career in journalism, I understand that some of my privacy may be taken away.
Posting questionable photographs or writing typical things people my age find harmless on a website could be extremely harmful years down the road.
The same could be said for those going into teaching, studying to be lawyers and especially those looking for a career in politics.
Although some of us may slip in our judgment of what is appropriate, we all know that nude photos are up there with the worst of worst ideas.
Of course it is terrible that a creepy hacker stole photos of a successful actress and illegally shared them with the world, but shouldn’t those in the public eye come to expect this?
Although the photos on Kunis’ phone are not nearly as scandalous, according to TMZ and The Washington Post, four pictures were stolen from her including photos of a shirtless Justin Timberlake and Kunis in a bathtub.
Of course when we take pictures of friends or family, we don’t expect them to be viewed by the world, scrutinized and ridiculed.
These two incidents of hacking are not new.
Although Paris Hilton and Miley Cyrus seem irrelevant as of late, the stars have also experienced backlash due to private videos and photographs being released to the public.
Hilton was filmed with her sister at a club using racial slurs and Cyrus, the Disney darling, was smoking salvia with friends.
Yes these events were damaging to their careers, but it seemed people forgave them because they’re only celebrities; they don’t need to be professional.
But imagine if your child’s teacher was filmed smoking salvia or your lawyer was caught using racial slurs at a club?
We take our privacy for granted as college students. Examining our use of photos to document events that may not be in public favor can come back and bite us in the end.
Be careful when you point and shoot.
Reach the columnist at tafergu1@asu.edu Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
