Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and his philanthropist wife Susan Dell created their own headline-making moment earlier this month during a much-talked-about appearance alongside Donald Trump at the White House. But that's not the first time a Dell has gone viral.
In 2012, around the time Instagram was gaining massive popularity and being acquired by Facebook, Michael and Susan's son and daughter were in the news — and mom and dad apparently weren't too happy about it.
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Father-of-four Michael, who is currently the fifth-wealthiest person in the world, was spending around $2.7 million annually on personal and family security, as reported by Businessweek. Meanwhile, 18-year-old daughter Alexa was finding her footing on social media, documenting her moves (and her family's whereabouts) on platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Foursquare.
© Getty ImagesThe difference was that she wasn't just any teen — her heiress status got her accounts noticed by the viral Tumblr blog Rich Kids of Instagram (RKOI), an account dedicated to well-off young people flaunting their wealth.
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The blog posted an infamous photo that would go viral: Alexa's brother Zachary enjoying a luxury meal on the family's private jet, captioned: "Snachary en route to Fiji @zachdell by alexadell #dell #privatejet".
Posted innocently enough, the picture was later taken from Alexa's personal Instagram, and reposted to RKOI.
Posting something is like releasing a letter into the wind. You may choose to let it go, but you can't choose where it lands
Additionally, some of Alexa's posts on Twitter and other social media platforms showed GPS details, another security risk.
The fallout was immediate, as the then-anonymous founder of RKOI revealed to the Times: “Dell spends about $3 million a year on private security, and his kids were undermining it by broadcasting too much information on social media.”
© WireImageThe Dells address the fallout of the photo
Michael Dell had built his fortune after founding what would become Dell Technologies in his dorm room in 1984. Decades later, technology gave him an unexpected challenge: keeping his own tech-savvy teens and family safe online.
As a result, the photo was deleted and Alexa's Instagram account was shut down.
A Columbia student and fashion magazine intern at the time of the incident, Alexa told Business Insider in 2018 that she was shocked at the effect of the viral post. "That obviously took me completely by surprise. I didn't even realize that account, or that blog-Tumblr-thing, was a thing," Dell said. "It's unfortunate because it obviously put my family at risk, and our safety. It's a shame that there are people out there who just are having fun exploiting others."
The goal should not be to scare young people away from social media. It is to teach them to treat personal information as something worth protecting
She reflected on how quickly social media's impact was growing at the time. "[Social media] wasn't there when I grew up. It wasn't something that I was taught how to do. It was something that we sort of taught ourselves how to use, and it sort of grew with us and became what it is now over time," she told the outlet.
© Getty Images'Be wary': Alexa's advice for young people
Alexa, whose work today focuses primarily on philanthropy, venture investing, and strategic advising, has been sharing snippets of her life on Instagram for the past 14 years. Most recently she's shared photos of her wedding and new baby with her followers, albeit without location tags.
The first post on her Instagram account @alexakdell, is dated August 11, 2012 and was apparently posted not long after the incident, once her handle was restored. But while the tech scion is active on social media, she is no doubt careful about revealing too much.
"I would advise younger people new to social media to be wary," she told Business Insider. "Everyone's not so nice."
Experts weigh in: Privacy risks, crisis control, and protecting your family online
Privacy and oversharing online, especially when it comes to young people, are issues that continue to be a challenge today. As clinical psychologist Dr. Brent Conrad points out: "When our thoughts and opinions are immortalized on social media, they can take on a life of their own."
The expert says it is key to remember that the audience viewing our online information isn't always the audience we imagine. "Even strict privacy settings can't prevent someone from taking a screenshot and sharing it elsewhere," he says. "Posting something is like releasing a letter into the wind. You may choose to let it go, but you can't choose where it lands."
Another risk, he notes, is how seemingly "harmless" posts — arguably the Dell posts could fall into this category — can be pieced together over time. "A photo, a comment, and a location tag might reveal little individually, but together they can paint a detailed picture of a teenager's life that they never intended to share."
© Daniele Venturelli/Getty ImagesAnd beyond the security risk, oversharing sensitive details on social media can also hurt public trust and a brand's image. So when a high-profile family social media slip-up occurs, what is the best response?
"Some public relations professionals advise their clients and the public either to let it sit to determine how dangerous it may become or not to give it attention at all because doing so provides more fuel to the virality of the moment," says Michael Toebe, strategic advisor at Reputation Intelligence. "They advise letting it pass, since some new emotional story will soon replace it. I'm not so sure I agree with that line of thinking."
A photo, a comment, and a location tag might reveal little individually, but together they can paint a detailed picture of a teenager's life that they never intended to share
Instead, he suggests, "It may be smarter and more advisable to — with poise and not defensiveness, anger, and resentment — humbly and sensitively respond about what was communicated and the reaction, how it likely looked or could be interpreted, and apply emotional intelligence by communicating how it affected other people. This will help those genuinely disgusted or angry and take a lot of fight out of the bad actors or trolls."
Arjun Bhatnagar, co-founder and CEO of privacy startup Cloaked, recommends caution but not fear. "The goal should not be to scare young people away from social media," he says. "It is to teach them to treat personal information as something worth protecting."
The best advice? "Before posting, ask what the image or caption reveals beyond what you intended, avoid routinely sharing locations and schedules, and remember that the audience for a post may ultimately be much larger than the people you chose to share it with."
