Making the personal public on social media

People are often turning to social media to make major announcements about their lives.

News can be spread widely and quickly with a touch of a button.

And getting the word out is particularly easy on a social media platform.

We are used to people promoting themselves on the internet but more are going online to announce the most personal news to the world.

On Friday, Reham Khan, the wife of Pakistan politician and former cricket captain, Imran Khan, announced their divorce in a short tweet, external:

Imran Khan posted a statement on Facebook, external:

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, external used his platform in July not only to announce his wife's pregnancy but also to reveal how they endured a series of miscarriages:

In August, US vloggers Sam and Nia used YouTube, external to share their grief after experiencing a miscarriage days after filming their joy of expecting an addition to their family.

After much speculation on changes the US ex-Olympic champion Bruce Jenner was going through, in June he revealed on Twitter that he had become Caitlyn Jenner.

After Caitlyn tweeted a picture of herself appearing on the front cover of a magazine as a woman, she tweeted, external:

The late businessman, Simon Binner who suffered from motor neurone disease, announced on the professional network LinkedIn, external when he was going to die:

And soon after his death in March, the acclaimed fantasy novelist Sir Terry Pratchett's final tweets appeared on his account, external:

His last tweet, external was:

Compiled by Andree Massiah