Hanna, say "braid!"

Some wanted it this way: Justin Bieber owes his career to his mother, who posted his performances online. Others aren't asked if they want to (I'd love to be there when Hanna confronts her parents in ten years' time - type "Hanna, say braid" into YouTube)!

Comedians, models and singers post their skills on the web in the hope of being discovered by online talent scouts. And they have been active in English-speaking countries for a long time. Employees of the United Talent Agency, for example, surf in the hope of finding diamonds in the rough. Special people and stories that can be marketed and which they then link directly to advertising agencies in order to build them up in a targeted manner. And they do this before the general public discovers them.

Of course, we are a long way from that in Switzerland. Our output in terms of internet celebrities is still limited to Massimo swearing in his car (pushed by Blick and later a guest on "Giacobbo/Müller") or the #selfiegate secretary from the Federal Parliament (whose story even made it into the New York Times - although only her chest was pixelated there. Priorities are a must!) As we Swiss are always suspicious when someone stands out from the crowd, it's not surprising that the 15 minutes of fame have mainly negative consequences for the person concerned: Massimo can no longer find a job, and secretary A. may have already lost hers. She would be lucky if her pornography at least benefited from the attention.

It's difficult to become a cyber celebrity in Switzerland, but already well-known personalities can continue to make a name for themselves. Or dismantle them just as quickly. "We race along the data highways at 3000 kilometers per second, (...) but we still know far too little about how to protect ourselves adequately from accidents. (...) The biggest enemy: ignorance. Until something actually happens, we often think we are invulnerable. It's the same as in road traffic," writes Martin Hellweg in his book "Safe Surfer", in which he gives practical tips on protecting privacy in the digital age*. "A careless moment can change lives in today's digital world. " Geri Müller would confirm this.

Once on the net, always on the net. Although it usually still takes the traditional media to inform the general public. Images on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram are reused by other media without being asked - you have to be aware of that. An emotional tweet on a political topic is suddenly quoted the next day, and you may inadvertently become a figurehead. "When acting, always consider whether there is a good balance between benefit and risk. If this is not the case, it is better to simply leave it alone. That's the best protection," says expert Hellweg.

So the evil, evil digital world? Is it best not to share anything at all and with anyone? On the contrary - we need to use the digital world, which has long since merged with our real world, to our advantage. On the one hand, well-known personalities need to maintain direct contact with their audience, which is otherwise so difficult. To communicate, including private matters, but only what they want to (perhaps to distract from what they would rather not reveal). And for the advertising world, on the other hand: highly digitally networked personalities rarely seem to be used as influencers and multipliers in this country. And when they do, the offers are only half-hearted - free yogurt or - as a reward for posts and tweets - "media presence". It's clear that this doesn't attract anyone from behind the stove. Today, online presence is a must. But to stay with the image of the digital highway - here, too, "luege, lose, loufe" or "consider, weigh up, post" applies. Hanna would be grateful.

*Hellweg, Martin: "Safe Surfer - 52 tips to protect your privacy".
Privacy in the digital age". www.safe-surfer.com/buch

Andrea Jansen is co-owner of the people management agency Andreas&Conrad. She tweets under @jansenreistrum