I had an irony moment this morning. As you may know, Elizabeth Edwards died of cancer yesterday. This morning a popular morning show aired a segment called “Elizabeth’s Private Life”, featuring a panel of her dearest friends.

A few thoughts:

1. It’s not a “private” life if it’s broadcast to millions of people. that segment this morning was an oxymoron.

2. No one has any privacy anymore. The phone I had as of a few days ago wanted to broadcast my exact GPS position to the world at all times. The journals and diaries that teenagers used to keep under lock and key (horrified at the thought that anyone would read them) are now broadcast to the entire world, 24×7. A large number of people today willingly broadcast their location, thoughts, activities, and images to the world, all day long.

3. Even if you’re trying to have a private life, you are going to find your own image tagged and broadcast to the world on various social media sites, because cameras are everywhere and everyone’s always capturing digital images of everything, Much of the time you won’t even realize that you were having your picture taken.

“Private life” doesn’t happen anymore, unless one is extremely intentional about it.