Kim K’s Social Media Account is the Reason She was Robbed of Million$$$
Kim Kardashian West is undoubtedly one of social media’s biggest stars, with an Instagram following base of upwards 84 million and Twitter following base of 48 million. She is what some might consider a “master” of social media. With the public basically being able to stalk her every move, comes some consequences. Kim K uses social media to “lifestream”, meaning she documents pretty much every aspect of her life — where she travels, what she’s wearing, who she’s with, etc. However, police accredit her social media usage to her frightening robbery that occurred this past Monday morning. They said that her visibility via social media made her a target for the heist.
Kim was ambushed by five robbers disguised as police officers on the morning of October third in her apartment she was residing in during Paris Fashion Week. The luxury apartment building — known as Hotel de Pourtales — is meant to shelter millionaires on vacation. Kim made it no secret where she was staying AND what she was wearing on her Paris trip, including her millions of dollars worth of jewelry. The five men, all armed, entered the building that morning around 3AM and somehow made their way into Kim’s apartment where she was asleep. With Kim in robe, the men bound her hands with zip ties, gagged her, held her at gunpoint, and then put her in the bathtub, locking the bathroom door on their way out. Amongst the nearly $11 million worth of jewels that were stolen, was (one of) her engagement rings given to her just last month by her rapper husband, Kanye West. The Lorraine Shwartz 20-carat emerald cut diamond was worth almost $5 million! The robbers also left with the contents of her jewelry box worth about $6 million.
It is said that while robbing Kim, one of the men was yelling “Ring! Ring!” Now, if Kim K hadn’t been flaunting her new sparkler on Instagram, would this heist have even happened? According to police, it would not have. Kim’s use of social media — which is extensive because social media plays such a substantial role in her brand — made her an attractive target for the five men who set out to rob her. They knew her exact whereabouts and her exact possessions brought along with her.
I think there is a very important lesson to be learned here, especially in this age of heavy social media use and consumption: be mindful of what you choose to share. Nothing is private. There are people in the world who — whether you are of celebrity status or not — are able to track down your location just by clicking on your profile…they are called stalkers, and if you are not selective with what you post, you could be making yourself a target. I know how much we all love our social media, but with the amount of information we are so eagerly ready to share, we must proceed with precautionary steps.
