Facebook Virgin Agonistes

LIKE MANY WEB NEWBIES, I have these sporadic anxiety episodes about relinquishing the shelter of anonymity. Although I joined stiff-'n-formal LinkedIn some three years ago, I feel I never really let my hair down until I signed up for Facebook in May of last year, and even more recently the blogosphere as well. For me, some part of the impetus has been commercial, as I see the World Wide Web as a tool to help (somewhat) level the playing field for small businesses, like my employer, to reach a broader audience for its products (not to mention its social advocacy). Though I can't deny it's also been great to rediscover dear friends I've been out of touch with for decades.

During a post-New Year's dinner with college buddies, I found myself a lone outlier sitting near the more relaxed end of the privacy debate. Most of my cronies exchanged notes on how to make their Facebook settings more restrictive, so as to protect their personal information and family photos. I teased them about being paranoid about the world learning of their past indiscretions or current clandestine pursuits. I bragged that, since I have no skeletons to confine to the closet, I don't mind making public a greater portion of my life.

I was to rue that boast in a matter of days. Back in December, I had blogged that Vice President Noli de Castro climbed into a boxing ring and insinuated himself behind the victorious Manny Pacquiao in order to probably, among other things, boost his own (Noli's) 2010 election prospects. But soon afterwards, I unearthed - to my horror - a two-year-old photo of myself next to the Vice President himself! There I was, in smug, be-suited glory, basking in Kabayan's halo, in front of my employer's booth at a trade fair in SM Megamall! The shoe was irredeemably on the other foot.

Although I'm now duly chastened for accusing others of mercenary motives, on the whole I'm unrepentant about embracing public life. At its core, the rigor of public life is all about keeping public figures honest and consistent - and it's definitely not meant to be pleasant.

However, if you feel there's some greater cause to be served by airing your opinion, to the point of fashioning yourself into a poster child for that cause, then maybe it's inevitable that some amount of your privacy gets sacrificed.

You see, I'm one of those unfortunate souls who's been bitten by a Bug of Mission. The particular species of pest which got a piece of me is named "Investing for the Masses." I'm an absolute fanatic for teaching fellow Filipinos about the massive and myriad benefits of long-term investing, and mutual funds in particular - which have been around for years now but still haven't gained any significant traction within the popular consciousness.

In my strange, bastardized ideology, I've been able to reconcile my faith in capitalism, profit, and market forces with the power of distributed capital to promote social reform, poverty alleviation and the maturation of genuine democracy. Call it pinko capitalism, if you wish. This is the motivation for sticking my neck out; this is the cause which I feel is worth the price of some of my, and even my family's, privacy.

Or am I just making a tidy rationalization? Is this really just a flexing of the ego? A sophisticated cover for vanity? I certainly hope not, but I fear that I cannot rule out this possibility. After all, humans are animals of self-interest, and even altruistic behavior is rooted in deeper-seated, self-serving goals.