Privacy is a comfort level.

When people open up, they are leaving their comfort level. And since not many people are adventurous enough to go outside their comfort zone, they are asking for privacy – and that is the primary reason why it is important to them. Interestingly enough, the desire for privacy it is extremely similar in almost all cultures.

Downside of privacy

It’s a petty sad that there is so little education on the downside of privacy. Maybe because of the fear to grow the power of average Joe? When people care less about privacy they care more about their exposure, demand their public position, want to grow influence and share their opinion. Those people have their own stand and no longer get manipulated as easy as they get as part of the anonymous mass. Privacy is a drug for ordinary people to shut up, stay under the radar, don’t say too much… Because privacy imply that only little to nothing of a persons position is exposed.

Now many privacy hungry people who have yet very opposing opinions jump into a role of an anonymous avatar, just a nick name, a Micky Mouse image and no bio. How important and how influential are those “characters”? Obviously not very much – nobody knows “who is this clown”.

An old saying is “The biggest risk is not taking one” – And that applies to privacy too. People who insist on their privacy insist to remain unimportant.

What to protect?

The almost bigger question: What are people trying to protect? Their inabilities? Their lack of skills? Their reputation? Reputation of what? Their ideas? Their opinion – or their lack of them? Protecting against whom? The public? The business? Well I guess the unknown is big enough in itself that it is protection for something that is unclear. And that goes back to leaving the comfort zone is too much to ask.

Privacy and Influence are diametrically opposite

Ok – of course there are very influential people who keep everything very close to their chest. But in general it is extremely difficult to gain influence of any sort for those who try to insist on their privacy. It is extremely hard to develop trust in somebody who is not open and keeps everything locked down. It is almost impossible to gain followers for an idea or movement, concept or just a plan for somebody who is not trusted, has no public face and is very “private”.

To the contrary it is rather easy to win supporter for an idea or strategy, plan or objective for people who are rather transparent, open and easily approachable. It becomes rather apparent that privacy is a big roadblock for influence. No wonder that public media around the world is picking up any possible privacy discussion they can find – because influence is their most important asset. Should they lose it in the fight for democratization of influence – they would lose everything they have.

Privacy should be decided – not influenced

In my opinion there is absolutely nothing wrong with staying within a comfort zone, showing no interest in influence or leadership and just wanting more privacy. But each person should be in a position to decide what to do and not influenced to worry and be scared of the lack of privacy. And getting an idea of the downside of privacy is part of that decision making process.

Axel
http://appearoo.com/AxelS