Sorta About Wapakman and the Woman

(Entry 1)

Don’t talk about politics and religion. You will only spark heated arguments.

Just talk about Manny Pacquiao and Krista Ranillo. You will be entertained.

Just kidding. Well, not really.

For those who are into sports showbiz, you know by now how this whole controversy started, the events that led people to speculate/believe that the hero and the starlet are way too fond of each other to be just friends, the photos and videos to “prove” just that, that Jinkee Pacquiao cried at a mass as if she was mourning a loved one’s death, etc. For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, you are in denial.

Showbiz aside, this is a demonstration of the pervasiveness of technology that even personal relationships cannot escape it. It is so easy to get a glimpse, a whole picture even, of any person’s life, proximity not being an issue, as long as you have a technological connection to that person. Once information on you is out there in bits and bytes, others who get hold of that information feel entitled to it, others empowered by it. If you are a private person, then you would probably curse to his/her very soul whoever “leaked” that information out. But if you like being talked about, then you probably would put that information out yourself. There are instances when you will be the one accessing information on another person. What do you do with it? You may disregard it. You may keep it to yourself (I doubt it). You may circulate it. You may even contribute more information. Now if the information you stumble upon happens to concern you, whether it’s good or bad information, you may also have varied reactions. You may be thankful that you learned of it. You may hate having known of it (ignorance is bliss mentality). You may be amazed at the fact that you wouldn’t have known had it not been for technology. Add to all this the fact that information spreads like wild fire and may get sensationalized when technology is employed.

So how do you regulate this? How do you regulate the use of technology that touches on personal relationships, affects them, but also arises from them? We are social beings. We encounter different individuals, and many of them. How we deal with them and the impression of the kind of person we are that we leave on them are things within our control. So can we really blame those people who say things about us, good or bad, when they are acting on what they know of us?

I don’t really know if our use of technology has crossed the line in this sense, talking openly about other people. Maybe we should just apply the golden rule. Maybe we should just regulate ourselves. Maybe we should just give each other personal space. After all, how much about a person’s life should we, in the first place, be interested in?