In the space of just a few hours, we watched a personal situation become a public event. What began as a post or maybe even a comment spiraled into something far bigger. It became viral.
Not because it was packaged as a story, but because the internet made it one.
As I watched it unfold, I found myself less focused on the details and more on the pattern. One we’ve seen before.
The Pattern Feels Familiar
Someone shares something. It touches a nerve, emotionally, socially, politically. Within minutes, it spreads. Screenshots, memes, commentary, and eventually, media coverage. The pace is dizzying.
Before long, someone who didn’t choose to be public becomes a topic of discussion. Their life, choices, and relationships become viral material.
Media Doesn’t Pause, It Piles On
Once it crosses a certain threshold online, media entities join in. Sometimes to clarify, but often to capitalise.
It’s understandable, they’re operating in the same attention economy. But it still leaves a hollow feeling. Who protects the person at the centre of the story, especially when they never asked to be part of one?
A Person Isn’t a Headline
What gets shared online is rarely the full picture.
It’s a version of someone. A sliver. A snapshot. And yet we respond to it as if it’s the whole truth.
In those moments, the internet feels less like a network and more like a courtroom, one with no pause button.
Reflections Closer to Home
We see this play out in Sri Lanka too.
Sometimes it starts on Twitter or TikTok. Sometimes it begins in a WhatsApp group. A post goes viral, and the whole country feels like it’s weighing in.
There’s less distance here. Everyone seems to know someone. And the commentary feels more personal.
We talk a lot about the benefits of digital transformation, but not enough about the emotional and ethical consequences of being so connected.
No Judgment. Just Observation.
This isn’t a “take.” It’s not even an opinion piece, really.
It’s just a moment of reflection on how fast things move and how often we forget that people are at the centre of these viral moments.
Just because something can be shared doesn’t always mean it should be. There’s no moral here. No playbook. No lesson.
Just someone’s story being pulled apart in public and a quiet reminder that it could happen to any of us.
If nothing else, this moment reminded me to slow down.
To watch more than I react.
To hold space for the fact that behind every trending topic is a human being who didn’t ask for the trend.
#DigitalCulture #Privacy #MediaEthics #Leadership #TechAndSociety #ContentResponsibility
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