There’s a writers group on LinkedIn I was considering joining. I’m not, now, because they require a headshot photo of all prospective members. (I did end up joining, after all; see update in Comments below.)
I don’t have many pictures of myself not costumed or otherwise masked. They’re around. I’m just not happy about adding to them. Not for religious reasons, or any crippling insecurity about my looks. My face is an accident of reasonably decent genetics, coupled with the sensible desert-dweller’s instinct to keep it away from too much sun.
I get why companies and social groups want to know what I look like. Sock puppets have made authorial authenticity even more important these days. Some publishers push their writers for author photos, because it’s accepted that readers want to have a deeper connection with their favorite authors. The selfie (be your own paparazzi?) photo has become a kind of currency, with an industry building around new ways to provide it and monetize it. For all these reasons, there’s a relentless hunger for personal images from most social media platforms.
There are dangers and disadvantages to plastering one’s face everywhere:
Security. Any image that reaches the Internet stays on the Internet, regardless of naive ‘right to be forgotten’ court cases in Europe. Those images can be easily stolen and/or misused. The less ammunition given out, the better. My friends in InfoSec sometimes have ‘no photos, no or limited public appearances’ clauses in their employment contracts – for their security as well as the company’s.
Narcissism. Like it or not, there’s a delicate boundary between presenting one’s authentic self in a sympathetic manner, and going overboard. As an author, I’d hope my readers couldn’t care less about what I looked like. My art collectors certainly don’t.
I recently found myself reacting negatively to a couple of new local businesses, when their owners displayed oversized photos of themselves as store advertisements. I’m sure it was meant to humanize and introduce them, but to me it came across as ludicrous and jarring. Donald Trump is not a good role model, in that respect.
So at least for now, my social media profiles will have images of things I’ve made, not my face. After all, I existed as an artist and writer long before the rise of the selfie.
Having been stalked once was sufficient. I will not show my face on the internet, not even for the most innocent of purposes.
Yep. All it takes is one time. I’m amazed at the difference in approaches, from high-tech security firms (who take this seriously) and the general public (who doesn’t seem to care unless it involves the NSA looking at their dick pics). Of course, total privacy is a myth anymore, but we can take small steps to help.
Basically, any group that demands proof of my existence with a headshot (really, how easy is THAT to fake) is a group I probably don’t want to join.
Update 4-12-2015: after a quick email exchange with the group’s owner, I can see why they generally ask for a photo. Too many spammers! The owner has given me the go-ahead after verification, so I have joined. I’ll post links later, after I get a feel for the group.
Mea culpa, for being prickly.