We saw it last year, for example, with revelations of John Della Bosca’s affair with 26 year old Kate Neill. Della Bosca resigned as NSW Health Minister. And then of course, there was the not so private life of Tiger Woods. Campbell, Della Bosca and Woods betrayed their marriage vows but then, that’s a matter for their conscience and families, no one else.
You could say with politicians, it’s about betraying trust but that might be pushing it. After all, there has been no shortage of politicians, including Prime Ministers, who have been notorious pants men. Everyone knew it and it didn’t hurt their political careers. The interesting question is whether this is part of a more general trend where the line between what is public and what’s private are blurring.
Why are private lives turning public? No doubt a lot of it is because of the growth of media. Add to that sites like Facebook and Twitter, YouTube and reality TV. The lines are blurring because they can be blurred.
All this leaves me wondering about how much of this reflects a growing tension between private and professional lives. It is happening to many of us, not just the rich and famous. A few weeks ago, I did a blog entry on how we are all getting overloaded with people’s details about their private lives, everything from medical treatments to matters of hygiene. You can see it in some of the tweets and status updates on Facebook. Do I really want to know if someone is tired, hungry or having a bath? Do I really care what they’re eating?
Do you think the lines between public and private life is blurring? What’s causing it? Do you think the status updates and tweets are over the top? What about at your workplace? And what did you think of the Campbell and Akermanis incidents?