Social Media Etiquette

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Ethics, by definition, is the concept of what is good, bad, right and wrong. In social media, the right ethic equals the right perspective and the right thinking on how to leverage social media appropriately and how to engage people in the right manner. Etiquette is a code of behavior within the context of our society. In social media, the right etiquette equals acting the right way. There definitely is a right way and a wrong way to use social media. 

On October 3^rd, 2016, Kim Kardashian-West was held at gunpoint in her Paris apartment and robbed of nearly $10,000,000 worth of jewelry. After handcuffing the porter, the robbers made their way up to Kim’s room, where she was sleeping. The robbers, dressed as police, entered her luxury apartment at around 2:30am. They held a gun at the reality TV star, tied her up with plastic cables, and locked her in the bathroom. They proceeded to steal two diamond Cartier bracelets, a gold and diamond Jacob necklace, Lorraine Schwartz diamond earrings, a gold Rolex and a few other items.

The alleged ringleader of the group that robbed Kim Kardashian-West told French police that his team obtained much of the information they needed to pull off the heist from her social media posts. He and his fellow robbers chose Kim because of the jewels she displayed on sites like Instagram. Only days before the incident, she had shared a photo of herself wearing a massive diamond ring believed to be gift from her husband, Kanye West. The robbers were able to easily track the reality star due to her social media presence. The burglar stated that "The jewels were shown on the Internet, and [she said] that she didn’t wear fakes... the time she would arrive in France, you just had to look at the Internet and you knew everything, absolutely everything."

Even though the only person responsible for this crime are the people who committed it, Kim may have been able to avoid this incident by not displaying all of her wealth on her social media accounts. It is not about how frequently she posts, but it is about WHAT she posts. Had she not posted a picture of incredibly expensive jewelry, the robber may not have been drawn to her specifically. 

Although there is not much Kim could do to rectify the situation, there are many things the robbers could do. They admitted guilt and wrote Kim an apology letter. Even though he made a small effort, many people would agree that this act is unforgivable.

Other than being more aware of what she posts on social media, she could have hired a bodyguard to watch after her while she was alone in the apartment. Her usual bodyguard was with Kim’s sister, Kourtney, and personal assistant while they were out.

If I found myself in this situation, I would react in the same way that Kim did. I would give the robbers what they wanted and call for help during the first chance I could get. After the incident, I would take a break from all social media and reevaluate how I present myself to the world.