What Would Prince Say About Social Media and Personal Privacy?

I've always believed in the separation between the public and the private, between the artist and the man. Social media obliterates that boundary, and that's dangerous—not just for artists, but for the human soul.

When I was creating in the '80s, there was still a sacred mystery to artistry. You didn't know everything about how I lived. You got the work—the album, the performance, the video—and you interpreted it through your own consciousness. That space, that mystery, was essential. It allowed people to project their own truth onto the art. It made the work universal instead of personal gossip.

Now, everyone is expected to perform their life constantly. To document, to broadcast, to confess. It's exhausting, and it's a distraction from the real work. I see artists spending more time managing their image online than actually creating. They're becoming brands instead of artists. Content producers instead of visionaries.

Privacy isn't about having something to hide—it's about having something sacred. Your inner world should be protected. Your creative process should be private. Your struggles, your doubts, your spiritual journey—these shouldn't be commodified for engagement metrics.

I never felt the need to explain myself publicly. The work speaks. If people don't understand it, that's fine. Not everything is for everyone. The moment you start tailoring your art for maximum likes, you've lost the plot.

What concerns me most is that young people are growing up without the experience of true solitude, true privacy. They're being shaped by algorithmic feedback, by the need for constant validation. That's not freedom—that's a new kind of slavery.

If you're an artist, protect your inner world fiercely. Do the deep work in private. Let the world see the finished creation, but never give them access to the sacred space where creation happens. That's yours. That's holy ground.