THE STREISAND EFFECT: When Trying to Hide Something Makes It More Famous (B1)
In 2003, American singer and actress Barbra Streisand tried to protect her privacy. She took legal action against a photographer who had published a photo of her house in California. The photo was part of a project about damage to the coast. Before the legal action, very few people had seen it. However, when people heard about the case, they became curious. Many more people wanted to see the photo. Barbra Streisand wanted to make the photo less popular, but the opposite happened. Her actions made it much more famous. In 2005, a writer called Mike Masnick gave this situation a name: the Streisand Effect . It describes what happens when someone tries to hide or remove information but makes more people interested in it. Why does this happen? People do not always like being told what they can or cannot see. When someone tries to stop them from seeing something, they may become even more interested. A photo, video or book that was not very popular can suddenly become famous. The internet ma...