Instagram Direct Messages Celebrity Friend or Foe

With the already popular photo sharing application of Instagram getting new direct messages function, the app may prove even more useful to publicity conscious celebrities, but will the new app be a friend or foe to the famous and image conscious? Could the new sharing feature turn into a nightmare for the rich and famous? Another chance for hackers to show off celebs naughty bits? There are already a a certain amount of entertainers and TV personalities that love Instagram and have turned  the act of taking “selfies” into a fine art. Some, like Kim Kardashian, use Instagram and self-posed pictures as blatant publicity.

The new trend of posting personal pictures, aka selfies,  has become the norm. Whether Justin Bieber wants to show off his impressive abs to adoring fans or make a video while talking to tweens who want his autograph, it is a great  way to promote the product. In this case the product is the star, singer, or television personality, who knows that this visibility keeps them in the public eye’s mind. They exploit social media to make sure they stay relevant.

Instagram are taking on Snapchat with the new direct messaging function or application. For the uninitiated, Snapchat was developed by Evan Spiegel and Robert Murphy when they were still in University. The photo messaging application can be downloaded and allows the user to take pictures; make videos; add drawings and/or  text and then send to a list of recipients. There is a pre-set time limit that these picture messages can be viewed. Apparently the time period is 1 to 10 seconds, after which, the picture becomes “hidden” to the recipient.

Snapchat sounds tailor made for those sexual couples who want to “sext” with images. Sexting could be seen as the newer more technological  version of phone sex. Some celebrities have been caught out by spouses, partners and girlfriends of the risque  individual who likes this new sexy mode of being naughty. One of the most well known cases of separation due to sexting was Sandra Bullock’s other half Jesse James.

Like his Civil War desperado namesake, James was misbehaving. Unlike the real Jesse James, Bullock’s hubby got caught out while playing away and their relationship ended pretty quickly. Of course having a sexual affair by text is not the only way that celebrities misbehave in this modern world of cell phone affairs. The new Instagram direct messages app will just add another level to the already prevalent hobby of sharing “private” photos with their “loved ones.” Time will tell whether this new gizmo on the app will be celebrity friend or foe. Sharing private pictures is nothing new, but, it could turn into another nightmare for celebrities.

The rich and famous have blushingly been caught in various stages of undress and in the case of a very young Vanessa Hudgens, from Disney’s High School Musical, in their birthday suits wearing a smile. The blushing comes later after the very personal pictures, not meant for the public’s prying eyes, are leaked all over the internet. The list of female celebs who have been “hacked” or leaked is long and pretty impressive. Even Scarlett Johansson, who the public watched grow-up on-screen, had some of her very personal pictures hacked and shared.

Of course there are a few celebrities, known for being famous and not much else, who had more than pictures shared on the net. Pamela Sue Anderson started a trend back in 1995 when a sex tape featuring the Playboy model and actress and Tommy Lee was splashed all over the internet. The tape did not actually hurt Pam’s career, as such, but she did at least have a career albeit a small one.

Paris Hilton, who did not have a professional entertainment career, had her sex tape leaked in 2003. The tape propelled the rich girl into a realm of celebrity that few reach with no discernable talent. Sadly, the tape proved that Paris seemed to play up to the camera no matter what the situation.

Kim Kardashian was caught out in 2007, the same year Hudgens had her young lady bits inadvertently on show. Unlike Hudgens, and more in keeping with Paris Hilton, Kim had no discernable talent. She also rode the waves of publicity caused by her sex tape into a career as a television reality show personality. Now she is engaged to Kanye West, as well as being the mother of his child, and she has used the notoriety to bring her whole family into the limelight.

While this small example of celebrity revelations are inadvertent exhibitions of things best left covered, there are just as many who love to show off their assets; clothed or not. These celebrities, at least one of whom started out in the inadvertent category, continue to make the same mistake of sharing their personal photos over a medium that begs to be hacked. New female stars still have their cell phones hacked with amazing regularity and this new mode of Instagram sharing looks to be great opportunity for those nefarious individuals who make money from leaking these type of pictures.

The addition of Instagram’s new direct  messages application will no doubt appeal to the sexy side of people across the globe. But will the new app be a celebrity friend or foe? Expect to see video action of people who should never be seen nude shared all over the internet, whether they wanted their sexy videos shared or not. Celebrities should be wary of this new potential nightmare. Even non-sexy videos can have embarrassing consequences. Can you say Justin Bieber and restaurant mop bucket?

By Michael Smith
United Kingdom

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