How Private Should Privacy Be?
Tracey Emin’s Everyone I have Ever Slept With is a piece of work. At its basic level, the artwork is a tent that has names appliquéd inside of it- 102 names to be exact. “Holy promiscuity!” would be the first thing that comes to my mind. But Emin had another take on the subject. She had included every person that she had shared a bed with, or in the more sexual context “slept with”. For example, as a child she slept in a bed with her grandma, so her name was included. In 2004, there was a fire at the Momart and the tent was destroyed.
This brings up the issue of privacy, especially about what kind of information you are willing to share. While this artist put her past in a museum for everyone to see, some will never tell anyone. For example, these sorority girls I knew were telling me about how, as part of the initiation, they had to tell all of their “Sisters” the number of people they had slept with. They could never tell anyone else. This created an immediate bond of trust between them. Boyfriends would not be able to know, but a husband would. When in a relationship, honesty is very important. However, at the same time, you have to be careful how much you reveal about yourself and not tell too much too soon.
This brings up the issue of the Internet, especially Facebook – where many people feel the need to tell intimate details of their lives. Emin’s tent is no different from a profile page used to air all of your dirty laundry. I often wonder how people can use this social networking tool to complain about roommates and significant others. Personally, I would not be able to deal with that for very long.
Have you had to deal with a similar situation? How far is too far?
If a person wants to put his or her experiences with you on the Internet, do you have any rights to privacy?
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