 |
Let this be a lesson to the wealthy: Watch what your kids are posting via social platforms because it may just threaten your security. That's the general gist of stories posted in the last few days about the shuttering of Alexa Dell's Twitter account.
Alexa, daughter of Dell CEO Michael Dell, was detailing on Twitter the dates and times of her family's comings and goings, making a social media mockery of the $2.7 million Dell expects to spend on personal security in 2012 (figure taken from regulatory filings). Apparently the last straw was a photo Alexa took of her brother Zachary diving into a big buffet spread on a private plane on the way to Fiji. The shot was posted to Instagram and ended up on the tumblr site Rich Kids of Instagram—an homage to wealthy young people and their toys (cars, yachts, bling, $100,000 bar tabs, etc.)
Perusing Rich Kids of Instagram is like coming across a bad car wreck: It's horrible but you just have to look. The site has recently been criticized for its conspicuous displays of wealth, which brings us back to Alexa Dell and her social media enthusiasm. “We don’t comment on Mr. Dell’s or his family’s personal activities,” a spokesperson for Dell told ABC News.
Lots of people have commented on the articles, with many ignoring the security angle and instead weighing in on the wealth part. Here's one particularly caustic comment: "No original thoughts. No dreams. No ambitions. Thanks anyway world, but that ain’t where it’s at for me. Keep your Dom Perignon for your champagne showers…..really, I think these rich folks really are inbred."
So while security could have been part of the reason why she was banned from cyberspace, perhaps Dad (and his PR handlers) felt like showing off the family fortune might be damaging to both his personal and corporate brand reputations. After all, the company's stock has decreased from over $18 in March to just over $12 as of today—it could use all the reputation help it can get.
Follow Scott Van Camp: @svancamp01