Yesterday I heard a radio interview with Mark Cuban, internet billionaire, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and star of the Shark Tank television show.
He made the most salient observation of life in the digital age:
The moment you put something online, you lose ownership of it but you keep responsibility for it.
Think about that.
It’s true for text messages, emails, Instagram photos, Tweets, Facebook comments, and even end of year blog posts.
I’ve only had a handful of tweets (@talbotdavis) that I posted in the heat of the moment, thought better of, and then deleted. Of course, they are still out there. Somewhere.
Lose ownership of.
Keep responsibility for.
I think I’ll heed that in 2015 and beyond.