Some Things Should Remain Private Even in Age of Social Media

Apparently anything that’s done in public in the age of social media is fair game. That’s what I’ve gotten from the recent story of how a woman tweeted the unfortunately public breakup of a couple on a delayed flight.

A woman named Kelly Keegs experienced a couple’s breakup and the fight that ensued after it on a flight and tweeted it all, including photographs of the couple.

The whole breakup, as one would imagine, was hurtful for both parties involved – who had no idea they were being overheard, photographed and certainly couldn’t have imagined that their pain was being broadcast across the globe via Twitter.

The couple would’ve been wise to keep their breakup private, but we all know emotions can bubble up at any time, oftentimes in the worst possible of places.

Keegs’ social media broadcasting of this couple’s breakup made her a social media star for a couple of days, as the saga became the top trending topic on Twitter and has exploded elsewhere on the Internet. But, her decision to turn something so hurtful and something that should be private into an online sensation makes her a total asshole, as well. She probably could’ve gotten away with the whole thing too, as long as she hadn’t posted photographs of the couple.

Because not only has the couple gone through the pain that is every breakup, but now they’ve been thoroughly embarrassed by a stranger online. This is frankly the kind of thing that could lead to a weak or already depressed person’s suicide, but Keegs didn’t think that through or care.

What’s almost worse than Keegs sharing something that’s in no way her business with what’s become millions of people online all across the world is that so many of those paying attention to her tweets and sharing them themselves are getting a kick out of others’ pain. That’s disturbing and a pretty damning example of the social media generation’s views on others.

The photo I’ve attached to this blog post is Kelly Keegs from her Twitter profile. She decided to publicly shame a couple during one of the most devastating moments of her life. Now she can see

how it feels to be publicly shamed with her face attached to it, as well.