#like I don’t believe Facebook in its current state is harmful for younger people

[radlymona]

I don’t think it should be a top priority or anything but idk why of all things the Albanese government is getting clowned for is wanting to set a minimum age for social media usage. Getting preteens and teens off instagram and tiktok is a net positive lmao

[nathenortizblog]

Week 10 Blog Post due 10/28/20

1. Is the creation and use of memes always harmful?

According to the reading titled “The Origins of Trolling” the author describes memes as “a group of digital items sharing common characteristics of content from and/or a substance that were created with awareness of each other, circulated and transformed via Internet users” (pg.74).  The author associates the creation of memes with internet trolls who are trying to cause harm on the cyber world. However, memes are not always harmful they can be used in different contexts. I personally use memes when I am conversing with my friends, typically Spongebob and Kermit the Frog memes are my favorite. The use of memes can add humor to a conversation. Additionally, memes also can be relatable to folks based on different identities, examples are college student memes centering on things such as procrastinating. Also, memes can be used to flirt with someone using romantic memes! I can see how memes can be harmful if they are of a specific person and it can be considered either disrespectful or cyber bullying. An example is when Mike Pence had a fly land on him during the VP debate he became a meme and some people considered it to be disrespectful. However, memes of celebrities such as Wendy Williams or Nicki Minaj are not always considered offensive as sometimes these celebrities even laugh about their own memes! Overall memes can be considered both harmful and can lead to cyber bullying but if they are used properly they can also add more humor to a conversation. Considering the topic of memes I wanted to include a meme illustrating how I feel I look before writing a paper, hope you enjoy!

2. In the story of Grandpa Wiggly, how can we eliminate the stigma of the internet only being for young people?

In the reading “Don’t Feed the Troll: Shutting Down debate about community expectations on Reddit.com” the author discusses the story of Grandpa Wiggly. According to the reading “Grandpa Wiggly described himself as a former English teacher living in the United States with his wife and seven cats” (pg.4). Folks discovered of Grandpa Wiggly and believed he was a troll with harmful intentions to scam folks on the Internet. However, folks also thought he was genuinely an older man using the Internet like everyone else. The article reveals Grandpa Wiggly was a character and the creator made the identity as a form of entertainment. Internet and technology are associated with a younger audience and it seems older folks could never be on the internet. However, lots of older folks have actually taken a part of the internet in the sense they are on social networks like Facebook. I think we should eliminate the idea that the internet and technology is only for the younger generation, we should be inclusive and invite older folks to explore the internet learn about everything it has to offer. Also, we should not assume everyone is a troll on the internet! We should be cautious of who we encounter but also look into proving someone’s identity with a video saying hi or a video chat call. However if someone seems suspicious we can also report their account and allow the platform to take further action and investigate the person.

3. How should celebrities or public figures manage their social network accounts due to their being so many risks like encountering trolls?

In the reading “A Timeline of Leslie Jones’s horrific Online Abuse” the author Anna Silman describes a brief history of Leslie Jones’s experiences with online abuse. The author states how “the comedian’s Twitter account was inundated with racist and sexist hate speech” (pg.2). Celebrities just like everyone else in the current era of technology have a social media profile on either Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, or TikTok. Many times their comment or reply section is filled with many positive comments from fans showing their love and support. However, at times there is very hateful comments and replies found in these posts. I think celebrities should allow their publicist to run their social media account in order to avoid trolls and hateful comments from folks. I’m sure celebrities do not have their notifications on in order to avoid being swarmed with so many comments and liked or retweets on a post. I believe sometimes people forget celebrities are also human and have a personal life outside of their roles in entertainment. Fans can sometimes go over board and try to invade these celebrities privacy. Some politicians have a personal and official account on social media such as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). I think this is a great start in order to separate the pool of trolls who are interesting in filling up the comments about their negative intentions. I also think celebrities should turn off the comments and ability to receive messages on their social networks in order to avoid coming in contact with trolls and receive hateful language and threats. Indeed this would lead to not being able to interact with fans but I believe their own safety should be a bigger concern.

4. If online harassment is so dangerous why are we so invested in social networks?

In the reading “Online Harassment” the author Maeve Duggan states how “73% of adult internet users have seen someone been harassed in some way online and 40% have personally experienced it” (pg. 1). Also, the author breakdown the statistics of what forms of harassment folks have experienced online. Some examples of harassment are being called offensive names, purposefully embarrassing someone, physically threatened, sexually harassed, and being stalked. These forms of harassment can occur on various social networks like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Tiktok. However, these forms of harassment can even be extended to dating apps where people can be catfished or a match on Tinder can lead to being stalked. We are so invested into our social networks and taking a funny boomerang for Instagram or creating a funny tweet for Twitter, we forget about all the dangerous of harassment that can occur online. I believe we are so invested in social media because of the different things they provide. Twitter provides live time news and it is more accessible for folks to report what is going on through a tweet instead of calling a news station. Although, these forms of online harassment can happen to anyone, I think it should be encouraged for folks to be aware of how to report and account or the use of blocking and muting a specific profile they are being targeted by. Also, younger kids are creating social media accounts which puts them at risk of being stalked or targeted by adults. Kids are creating social media accounts before they even enter high school, I personally was not able to have Instagram until I was a junior in high school. I think parents who allow their children to have social media at such a young age should enforce their kids having a private account in order to approve their followers. Social Media does have its risks just like almost everything else in life but I believe we just need to be more cautious of how to navigate the Internet safely.

Bergstrom, K. (2011). “Don’t feed the troll”: Shutting down debate about community expectations on Reddit.com. First Monday

Duggan, M. (2014), “Online Harassment” Pew Research Center, pp. 1-11.

Phillips, W. (2015), "Defining Terms: The Origins and Evolution of Subcultural Trolling”. This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture.

Silman, A. (2016). A Timeline of Leslie Jones's Horrific Online Abuse.

[scifigeneration]

Malicious bots and trolls spread vaccine misinformation – now social media companies are fighting back

by Ana Santos Rutschman

At least half of parents of young children report having encountered negative messages about vaccines on social media. Alexander Dummer/Unsplash, CC BY

Social media have become one of the preeminent ways of disseminating accurate information about vaccines. However, a lot of the vaccine information propagated across social media in the United States has been inaccurate or misleading. At a time when vaccine-preventable diseases are on the rise, vaccine misinformation has become a cause of concern to public health officials.

A 2018 study showed that a lot of anti-vaccine information is generated by malicious automated programs – known as bots – and online trolls. In a striking parallel with the 2016 presidential campaign and the 2018 midterm elections, some vaccine misinformation on American social media has been traced back to Russia.

At Saint Louis University’s Center for Health Law Studies, I monitor legal and policy responses to vaccine misinformation. Now platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest are developing strategies to address anti-vaccine bots and to try to reduce their reach in the United States.

Vaccine misinformation is all over social media

“Vaccine hesitancy” is what public health officials call the “delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines” despite their availability. The World Health Organization has classified vaccine hesitancy as one of 10 big threats to global health in 2019, on the list with air pollution, heart disease, cancer and pandemic outbreaks due to viruses like Ebola.

In recent years, social media platforms have become effective vehicles for conveying inaccurate information about vaccines, amplifying anti-vaccine movements and giving greater visibility to scientifically unsound data.

In a 2019 experiment, several journalists searched the term “vaccine” on Facebook. What came back was predominantly anti-vaccine content, even though the vast majority of parents – 91% in one survey – are pro-vaccine.

One study by the Royal Society for Public Health in the U.K. found that 41% of parents using social media reported having encountered “negative messages” related to vaccination. The number increased to 50% among parents of children younger than 5.

via MEME

Memes and other eye-catching visuals can also help propagate the idea that vaccines are unnecessary or harmful, without any reference to scientific or medical data.

Anyone with access to a computer can easily spread inaccurate information about vaccines through social media.

But bots trolling social media can accomplish this goal at a massive level, as they have been doing in the United States at least since 2014.

Malicious bots targeting vaccine info

Bots account for a large percentage of online activity overall. Calculations suggest that between 40% and 52% of all internet traffic is automated. A study analyzing online bot activity in 2018 estimated that 20.4% of bots were malicious. Researchers estimate that between 9% and 15% of active Twitter accounts, for instance, are run by bots, instead of people.

A 2018 study analyzing Twitter data examined the role of bots and Russian trolls in spreading vaccine misinformation. Researchers looked at over 1.7 million vaccine-related tweets between July 2014 and September 2017. Accounts associated with these two categories tweeted at a higher rate about vaccines than average users. While there are no published studies about other social media, researchers have warned of similar activity on Facebook and YouTube.

In the case of Twitter, there seem to be at least two separate goals behind spreading misleading news about vaccines. Most vaccine-focused bots are deployed with the direct goal of spreading vaccine misinformation, presumably with the purposed of amplifying anti-vaccine views.

But content originating in Russia conveys both pro- and anti-vaccine messages. This is part of a broader strategy aimed at sowing discord in the U.S. by stirring up conflict around divisive topics.

Some Russian tweets identified in the study used the Twitter #vaccinateUS hashtag. Of all the #vaccinateUS tweets that had Russian sources, 43% were pro-vaccine, 38% were anti-vaccine and 19% were neutral. A pro-vaccine one asked: “Do you still treat your kids with leaves? No? And why don’t you #vaccinate them? It’s medicine!” An example of an anti-vaccine one read: “#vaccines are a parents choice. Choice of a color of a little coffin.”

The U.S. is not alone in facing increasing levels of vaccine misinformation on social media. Canada has also reported a rise in the number of online bots spreading vaccine misinformation. Moreover, as content from social media is consumed across borders, these issues are now turning into a global problem.

Social media platforms clear out misinformation

A 2015 study analyzing vaccine pins on Pinterest found that the majority were anti-vaccine. By early 2019, the company decided to block all vaccine content from the platform.

Initially, the ban was absolute, regardless of the accuracy or source of the information. In late August, Pinterest announced that it would start allowing content from public health organizations, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization.

In March 2019, Facebook announced that it would take steps to diminish anti-vaccine content. The company no longer allows anti-vaccine advertising and says it is considering removing fundraising tools from anti-vaccination Facebook pages. It no longer “recommends” anti-vaccine content and reduced the rankings of groups and pages conveying vaccine misinformation. They’re less visible, but not banned – these groups and pages are still present on Facebook.

Also in 2019, YouTube prohibited advertising on channels and videos that run anti-vaccination content. Until then, most YouTube searches for “vaccine” served up misinformation at the top of the list results. Afterwards, John Oliver’s HBO episode on vaccines and similar content jumped to the top.

Plenty of misinformation still online

As I wrote this article, dozens of new tweets were added to the #vaccine hashtag on Twitter. Several were similar to this one, tweeted from an account with over 11,000 followers, that conveys an anti-vaccine message under the guise of scientific information.

This account, which appears to be closely related to a previously suspended one, tweeted multiple times per hour. Less than an hour before the tweet above, it had tweeted a visually more blunt message asserting the false link between vaccines and autism.

Like most Twitter users, I have no idea whether this is a personal account or one operated by a bot. But for several hours the vast majority of the tweets on the vaccine hashtag were spreading content that is not supported by current scientific consensus.

While the latest tweets were predominantly anti-vaccination, when I sorted results by “top tweets,” a tweet from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, pointing readers toward its own vaccine information page, appeared first.

But tweets 4, 5 and 9 in the top 10 belonged to the same account with 11,000 followers I encountered repeatedly while monitoring the Twitter vaccine hashtag.

With outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases on the rise, public health institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been increasing their social media presences. Social media platforms can continue to help reduce misinformation that could further increase vaccine hesitancy in the United States and elsewhere. As suggested by Pinterest’s approach, these tech companies can increase the amount and visibility of vaccine content from reliable sources. While it’s virtually impossible to eliminate all inaccurate posts, I believe social media can and should be redesigned to facilitate the promotion of accurate vaccine information.

About The Author:

Ana Santos Rutschman is Assistant Professor of Law at Saint Louis University

This article is republished from our content partners at The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

[gnatalie-moat]

Social media has become a massive part of our culture and our lives. For many, it is a primary source of entertainment, connection, and creativity. It is used by millions every day, and I doubt you could find a single person in America that hasn’t heard of Facebook before. However, if you had asked around just twenty years ago, you would have gotten a very different response.

Social media has exploded in the past two decades. Youtube, MySpace, and Facebook were the bedrock of the new form of media, and they just exploded from there. Due to this rapid growth, we have generations that are split right down the middle. We have some that had nothing even remotely similar to social media, and we have some that have known about it for as long as they can remember. This opens up the door for many debates, and one has taken the spotlight above all.

Social media is targeted as the primary cause of adolescent’s and young adult’s declining mental health.

Recently social media has been singled out as the leading cause of mental health issues in teens and young adults. While there may be some correlation between social media and mental illness, it would be an incorrect assumption to place sole causation on social media.

In the past few years, many studies have been done that focus on the potential correlation between rapidly declining mental health and the use of social media. It has become the target to aim for, and most arguments state the same few theories. These theories most commonly include the big three:

“likes are addictive”

“comparing lives leads to self-hatred”

“social media replaces face-to-face interactions”

I can understand why people are making these accusations and assumptions, but I believe their idea as a whole is flawed. People find it easy to look at the last decade and pin this problem on one of the largest new things added to our lives. Social media is absolutely the easiest thing to blame; it seems to fit every stereotype we’ve ever had about kids getting their feelings hurt, so it makes it very easy to tick those boxes. This has made it extremely uncommon for anyone to try to find any alternatives.

I believe a large reason why we are seeing such a spike in the unquestioned blaming of social media is its sense of being a large, clear divider between generations. Many of the people doing the assuming in the first place are the parents of adolescents, or others in the same generation as those parents. They look down on the younger generations (Millenial and Gen Z) and they see things they don’t understand, things they didn’t have as children. They also see kids struggling with mental illnesses--something that was a somewhat taboo topic up until the last ten years or so.

No one ever wanted to hear about that when they were kids, so why is everyone talking about it all of a sudden?

Now that it has become a topic of discussion, it is more transparent, and faces a new kind of discrimination: such as men are treated as less for stuggling, and young kids are shown as fakes and “desperate for attention”.

As mental illness finds itself in our discussions, so do questions regarding it. We are currently dealing with this awkward divide in assumption and personal experience. Many people that belong to older generations can find this rise in mental illness difficult to grasp. You can’t see it, it can be difficult to diagnose, and even the medication is something that is disputed. This becomes the first part of the problem: a lack of understanding. Assumptions are made and then perpetuated as truth, which continues to mislead uninformed people. When the assumptions are spoken about more than the actual stories of those who have experience, the scales tip in the wrong direction.

But where do these assumptions come from?

As older generations learning the ways of all our current world technology, things can easily be confusing or frightening. Merritt Roe Smith, in an article called “Technological Determinism in American Culture”, discusses this idea of what is happening to America.

Technological determinism is the idea that technology now drives our culture. That we have lost the reins to the buggy and are now forced to just go where it takes us and admire the view on the way.

I believe this idea is also what has led to the blaming of social media. It is the easiest thing to look at and say, ‘Well, we created social media--it’s a part of our world now, and there’s nothing we can do about that. It’s obviously the cause for all these mental health issues, so now I guess we just need to take away the Internet from our kids to keep them safe. It’s the only choice we have.’ Strict parents often restrict the use of the Internet, do not allow their children to have social media accounts, or monitor them with random checks and enforced restriction policies. Parents think social media is driving the change they see in mental health, so the only method of attack they take is restrict, conceal, and refuse.

This is why this accusation is so harmful. In some cases, making false accusations would have no real consequences, so it’s fine to leave them thinking what they want. But in this sense, there are parents that are seeing these studies and taking them as fact. When a parent makes their own decision about why their child is struggling with a mental illness, they close a very important door. A parent needs to be able to hear and accept what their child is saying to them, or else they will never be able to help them in the way they actually need. A parent will often believe others over their child because they believe the child just doesn’t want to lose their “precious social media” and that they “know best for them”. When a parent believes opinions over their child’s, they can risk isolating them even more.

When one is struggling with mental illness, it can be extremely difficult to reach out for help. They may feel unsafe doing so, feel as though others will not believe them, or be embarrassed by it. One of the most important things you can do is be completely willing to listen--and accept--what they have to say. When you choose to believe a study over the child’s own feelings, you are confirming their fears that they are not being heard.

Many studies have followed the same setup: get a thousand people or so in a certain age group and monitor how many times they open social media. Then, watch how long they use it for, and at the end of it all, ask them how sad they are. There are many flaws with these kinds of studies. The main flaw, though, is the lack of interest in any other factors. Using this method, it would be easy to pin mental illnesses on just about anything. When you focus every study on just this one idea, you push away any other evidence you could find that proposes otherwise.

While it is possible that a certain aspect of the rise in social media can be linked with the rise in mental illness, it becomes dangerous when one declares that it is the only link. Social media may be the most “in your face” aspect of the Internet, but it is far from the most important. As Martin Heidegger once stated, “...the essence of technology is by no means anything technological.” When people attempt to pin down causation on the digital world, they are entirely disregarding this fact. The rise in devices, careers, expectations, independence, and connectivity has forced our most recent generations  to change and adapt in a way no generation before ours ever has. These generations find themselves having to stress over massive decisions at younger and younger ages. As a brief example, we can look at just how drastically our view on a college education has become.

In America, college is seen as vital to a successful life.

In Frank Newport’s article, he states “Seven in 10 American adults believe that a college education is very important, up significantly since the 1970s and 1980s. In 1978, when Gallup first asked the question as part of a Phi Delta Kappa survey, just 36% of Americans considered a college education to be very important.”. The pressure to know what you plan to do with the rest of your life by age seventeen looms at the back of most adolesent’s minds. It’s hard enough to understand yourself at that age, let alone what you want to do day in and day out for decades of your life. And if this pressure wasn’t bad enough, it comes with a ball and chain: the promise of thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of dollars of student debt. This pressure is enough to discourage any abled person, and a young kid struggling in their basics to algebra math class can see this future as a death sentence. And yet still, we trudge on, and continue to attend universities, And we do this for no other reason than we see it to be impossible to survive life without it.

When older generations look down on those younger than them, they can’t help but compare their lives. By this age, they had bought a house, By that age, they’d had three children. You’re having a hard time in school? Suck it up, I did it so you can too.

These generations are being raised with the idea that if they are not everything their parents were, they are a failure. And yet, they have been handed down a world of situations that make that impossible. It is hard enough to afford next week’s meal budget, let alone a house. The pressure of understanding what we want to do with our lives is crushing, but we find ourselves sitting in a college classroom anyways.

These constant beat downs on younger generation’s self esteem is a recipe for disaster. It murders motivation, squashes self-confidence, and roots fear into their lives. And yet, whenever these struggles are mentioned by those fighting them, the responses are the same. Grow up! Be an adult! This is life!

But you know what it all probably is?

Those damn phones.

Citations

Gallup, Inc. “Americans Still See College Education as Very Important.” Gallup.com, Gallup, 10 Oct. 2018, https://news.gallup.com/poll/166490/americans-college-education-important.aspx.

Smith, Merritt Roe. “Technological Determinism in American Culture.” Does Technology Drive History? The Dilema of Technological Determinism, The MIT Press, 1994, pp. 3–34.

Martin Heidegger, The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays, trans. William Lovett (New York, 1977), 4.

[sweatywolftiger-blog]

Pedophilia is a sexual orientation

“By the above definition of sexual orientation and most common definitions of sexual orientation pedophilia can be viewed as a sexual age orientation based on the more limited evidence available regarding its age of onset, associations with sexual and romantic behavior, and stability over time. Though there are clearly differences in some respects, there are also striking similarities in the research literature on pedophilia.”

“Minor attraction is a complex sexual phenomenon that is best conceived of as a sexual orientation. Minor-attracted people appear to experience their sexuality in much the same way adult-attracted people do, albeit towards a socially unacceptable target. Given the somewhat arbitrary nature of this social distinction, the basis for the pathologization of minor attraction is questionable. The current study adds to evidence of similarities between minor attraction and other sexual minority orientations. It also shows that the experiences of minor-attracted people are quite varied. By using a non-forensic, non-clinical sample I have been able to capture a much broader range of experiences. This has illuminated not only the hardships that many minorattracted people face, but also the ways in which some have succeeded in overcoming or avoiding these hardships. This provides hope that minor-attracted people are not doomed to live unhappy lives, despite the intense stigma they face.”

“Pedophilia as a Sexual Orientation

DSM-5 did not err in referring to Pedophilia as a sexual orientation. In diagnosing any psychiatric disorder (including a Pedophilic Disorder), ordinarily the intent is to guide patient care, management, and research. In discussing the diagnostic features of individuals who are sexually attracted to prepubescent children, DSM-5 notes that some could be said to have a pedophilic sexual orientation. The term sexual orientation ordinarily reflects an individual’s subjective awareness of the category (or categories) of persons toward whom he or she is erotically attracted. Clinically, there are individuals (many of whom are described as having Pedophilia) who report a subjective awareness of being erotically attracted (either exclusively or in part) toward a category of individuals comprised of prepubescent children. Many report experiencing those attractions as unchosen in a fashion that seems very much like an orientation. That such attractions are often unwanted does not alter their resemblance to an orientation.”

Therapy is about self acceptance and having a community.

“The best treatment for the isolated minority syndrome is obviously group therapy or self-help organizations. Experienced members of such groups can function as positive identification models for less experienced members with the same or a similar paraphilia, and teach them how to find a matching partner and how to live a sex life that is satisfying to both parties. The formation of such organizations for all common paraphilias should be encouraged and supported, and any person who suffers from the isolated minority syndrome should be encouraged to become a member of such organizations and subscribe to their publications.”

This is an email sent to Discord after they terminated a discord group made for MAPs.

“Professionals helped some of these men accept their pedophilic interests by separating their sexual attraction from their sexual behavior and by managing their sense of selves (e.g., distancing themselves from stories of “child rapists” [25 p8]). Engaging with other pedophilic individuals helped these men see that others with their interests were able to avoid offending, which brought a sense of hope. Having other social supports that knew about their interests helped because their supports could help them maintain boundaries with children, challenge potentially distorted thinking, and provide them with feedback regarding their behavior with children.”

“The preferred model of treatment is LGBT affirmative psychotherapy, which  treats sexual feelings as innate, unchangeable and subject to personal acceptance. The American Psychological Association provides guidelines on its website (see below). Applied to the minor-attracted person, affirmative therapy separates sexual orientation from its expression, emphasizing acceptance and personal growth. This in no way endorses sexual contact between adults and minors.

Awareness of the shame, stigma and fear of exposure that MAPs experience due to their sexual and emotional feelings is crucial to treatment.”

Child molesters are more likely not MAPs.

“Two groups of those sexually offending against children can be distinguished:

▪ Those showing no sexual preference disorder, but who, for different reasons, sexually abuse children seeking a surrogate. This group comprises e.g. sexually inexperienced adolescents, mentally retarded persons, those with anti-social personality disorders and perpetrators within general traumatizing family constellations – and accounts for approximately 60% of officially known offenders;

▪ Those showing a sexual preference disorder, namely pedophilia (erotic preference for prepubescent minors, i.e. showing Tanner stage 1) or hebephilia (erotic preference for pubescent minors, i.e. showing Tanner stages 2 and 3). These account for approximately 40% of officially known offenders.”

Seto & Lalumi`ere (2001) found that 40% of a sample of 1113 sex offenders showed equal or greater sexual arousal to stimuli depicting children compared with stimuli depicting adults.

Maletzky & Steinhauser (2002) reported that 43% of the 5223 sex offenders in their sample were diagnosed as pedophiles on the basis of their sexual offense histories

Estimates for the rate of pedophilia in detected child molesters generally range between 25% and 50%.

A 2006 study found that 35% of its sample of child molesters were pedophilic

MAPs are oppressed in our society for being MAPs.

“"How in the world can anyone go through every day living with this curse and not want to fling themselves off the nearest bridge on a daily basis?”

“When you have a sexual preference that is as stigmatizing as pedophilia, then there’s nowhere to go with it, there’s no one to really talk to about it,” said Professor Michael Miner, one of the study’s co-authors. “So you stew in your isolation, which certainly makes one depressed.”

Todd Nickerson is a 42-year-old pedophile from Tennessee. Struggling to come to terms with his sexual identity caused him many years of crippling depression. “I look back on it now and find it amazing that I never got to the point where I picked up a gun and ended it,” he told me. “There were days when I got up and it was all I could think about. I’d tell myself, ‘I just want to die. I just want to die.’ All day, for days on end.”“

"An innocent man was viciously beaten and then burned to death by vigilante neighbours who wrongly believed rumours that he was a paedophile.”

“The grieving family of a man found hanged in a cemetery claim he was driven to suicide following paedophile accusations on Facebook.”

Sexualizing children in fictional stuff harms no one. Yes, it’s okay to portray children in sexual themes, as long as you don’t show any sexual stuff to an actual child and you don’t touch inappropriately a child or be involved in a romantic relationship with a child.

"The most dramatic decrease in sex crimes was seen when attention was focused on the number and age of rapists and victims among younger groups (Table 2). We hypothesized that the increase in pornography, without age restriction and in comics, if it had any detrimental effect, would most negatively influence younger individuals. Just the opposite occurred. The number of juvenile offenders dramatically dropped every period reviewed from 1,803 perpetrators in 1972 to a low of 264 in 1995; a drop of some 85% (Table 1). The number of victims also decreased particularly among the females younger than 13 (Table 2). In 1972, 8.3% of the victims were younger than 13. In 1995 the percentage of victims younger than 13 years of age dropped to 4.0%.

In 1972, 33.3 % of the offenders were between 14-19 years of age; by 1995 that percentage had decreased to 9.6%. Thus, over the period in question, there was a major shift in the proportion of victims and offenders from the younger categories to older categories.”

In regards to all sexualities, fictional content and violent fantasies don’t harm anyone, it has even beneficial outcomes.

“Taken together, these findings are offered in support of the hypothesis that the occurrence of force fantasies, rather than resulting from an attempt to deal with sexual guilt, represents one of a number of ways in which some women demonstrate a relatively open, unrestricted, and varied approach to their sexuality.”

“Pornography continues to be a contentious matter with those on the one side arguing it detrimental to society while others argue it is pleasurable to many and a feature of free speech. The advent of the Internet with the ready availability of sexually explicit materials thereon particularly has seemed to raise questions of its influence. Following the effects of a new law in the Czech Republic that allowed pornography to a society previously having forbidden it allowed us to monitor the change in sex related crime that followed the change. As found in all other countries in which the phenomenon has been studied, rape and other sex crimes did not increase. Of particular note is that this country, like Denmark and Japan, had a prolonged interval during which possession of child pornography was not illegal and, like those other countries, showed a significant decrease in the incidence of child sex abuse.”

“His first work on the subject, Studies on Pornography and sex crimes in Denmark (1970), was a scientific report ordered by the United States’ President’s Commission on Obscenity and Pornography. It found that the legalizing of pornography in Denmark had not (as had been expected) resulted in an increase in sex crimes.[4]”

[bethanyhaynes]

Interviews

HARRIET

When did you first use social media & for what purpose?

I wasn’t allowed Facebook until I was 15 so by that time I was interested in what all of the fuss was about.

Have you seen a change in social media usage in your lifetime?

People have definitely started to use it more. A housemate of mine goes and sees his friends and they catch up for 10 mins and then spend the rest of the time together sat on their phones in silence.

Have you ever been directly impacted by social media positively or negatively? (E.g cyber bullying or social media perks such as being paid for something)

Not really but it’s definitely impacted the choices I make in life. I probably wouldn’t be vegan if it weren’t for instagram but I also wouldn’t have issues about the way I look.

Do you think social media has made you view the world differently? How?

It’s made me realise that the world has two dimensions. The ‘real’ one and the social media one. These dimensions are so vastly different but we struggle to tell them apart. Social media portrays the best part of someone’s life because that’s all they show, we seem to think that this is true in the real world and we fail to understand that these people we are looking at are in fact like us and have the same struggles.

People are coming out and talking about this more openly now which is good, but unless you cut off all ties with this fake world, you will always be under the impression you’re alone and not as good as the ‘perfect’ version of that person on your screen.

Do you think social media is detrimental to mental health? Yourself and others?

Yes and no. It has effected my mental health a lot in the past in terms of my struggle with body image and body positivity. I would follow these Victoria secret model types of people and constantly feel bad about being me to the point where I would only eat if I felt like I was going to pass out just to get as skinny as them.

Fast forward to now where I only follow influencers who are a bit chunky around the edges and have stretch marks have shit one night stands but instead of hiding that to seem perfect to everyone else, they celebrate it allowing me to celebrate myself too. Yesterday I ate 5 crumpets AFTER my actual dinner because I wanted to and why the fuck not.

I think it’s detrimental to your mental health if you don’t follow the right things to keep your head above water.

Have you ever had a social media cleanse? Deleted social media/ gone off grid?

I have tried several times but always felt like I was missing out on things. It’s nice not to go on it but you also feel like your missing a left arm. It’s so weird. Social media takes up so much time that when you don’t go on it, you have no idea what to do with yourself.

How do you think life would be different without social media?

I think it would be simpler but also more lonely. It’s not something we need, but seeing what your friends are up to, especially in the current climate, is kind of liberating.

One thing you would say to someone struggling with there mental health due to what they see on social media?

Unfollow everything that doesn’t make you feel good or plays on an insecurity you have, then follow loads of the opposite. E.g. if seeing meat come up on your timeline makes you feel bad because you’re trying to be vegan then unfollow it all and follow vegan things. Get inspired and learn how to create the same food with less of an environmental impact.

BAYLEY

When did you first use social media and for what purpose?

1. i’d say i started using it around 2010 with Facebook, honestly using it back then because it was the cool thing to do & made me feel older/more grown up.

Have you seen a change in social media usage in your lifetime?

2. Yes social media is massive now compared to what it was, people build big careers out of it now.

Have you ever been directly impacted by social media positively or negatively? (E.g cyber bullying or social media perks such as being paid for something)

3. Luckily no negatives so far but it has allowed me to connect with people who i wouldn’t of been able to normally, i’ve met many friends through groups based around clothing and even transferred that friendship over to real life.

Do you think social media has made you view the world differently? How?

4. Yes definitely it’s made me realise everything off line is so much realer & authentic, its also gave me a perspective of whats going on around the world which i guess is a positive.

Do you think social media is detrimental to mental health? Yourself and others?

5. For sure i know loads of people who get upset over like counts etc & how they look online but i guess that has affected us all at some point.

Have you ever had a social media cleanse? Deleted social media/ gone off grid?

6. Yes i delete my stuff all the time, i personally only use instagram but i have a small side account with only 12 followers where i post, i hate the thought of a few hundred people seeing everything, i like to keep myself to myself & always delete stuff fast.

How do you think life would be different without social media?

i think without it the world would be much slower paced because i genuinely believe it’s a positive thing to have, we as people just have to focus on not letting it rule our lives too much.  

One thing you would say to someone struggling with there mental health due to what they see on social media?

Social media is all fake, it doesn’t reflect real lives do not beat yourself up over it & if you’re having a hard time coping with it all remember to step away and focus on the positives in life

LIAM

1) I think when I was about 10/11 it was facebook / msn to chat to my friends

2) yes definitely before it was more just to connect but now it’s more to show off, get good content and all very much focused on looks

3) I went on a TV show and got really bad hate on twitter lol

4) I think everyone is so invested in social media and it’s a big part of everyday life’s, it’s some people’s full time job

5) not me personally but yes, it can put people down if they feel they don’t look a certain way, or can’t afford certain items they see on social media and if there life is different to others it definitely impacts their mental health

6) nope lol I need too

7) I don’t think people would care so much about the latest trends or getting that perfect picture or too bothered about looking Instagram perfect they would be happy within themselves

8) I would say Instagram is a fake life, and it’s a front that everyone puts up and everyone’s life’s are completely different behind the screen

ROSIE

I first started using social media at the meer age of nine it seems by the dates of my Facebook account, originally to connect with friends outside of school and it seemed I enjoyed to share how I was feeling and what it was I was doing. The innocence of what used to be definitely doesn’t exist in this world anymore.

There has undoubtedly been a massive shift in social media and its purpose, in recent years there has been a growth in influencers and Instagram for example became a platform for advertisement and supremacy really.

I can gratefully say I have never been directly impacted by cyber bullying but truthfully I believe social media has definitely negatively had an effect on me purely due to comparison, I have grown to realise that this doesn’t matter and everything presented online isn’t at all the truth.

As there is no escaping this world that is so heavily influenced and controlled by social media it would be wrong to say it doesn’t have an effect on how I view everything. Even if I personally disconnect from social media, everybody around me uses it and is thoroughly impacted. I believe if we didn’t have social media we could be more connected as a species and to nature, to going outside and seeing people physically opposed to every so often messaging them. I believe there wouldn’t be so much pressure to look a certain way but I wouldn’t know a world without this because from a young age this started to become prominent.

I believe social media is detrimental to mental health, there is no filter to what we come across and this may trigger harmful emotions or even kickstart something that wasn’t originally there; for example when I was 15 a highly influential age I started to develop an eating disorder which still lays in my mind today, this is due to the access of social media.

I once tried to delete Instagram and in all honesty grew to be bored without it. I did lose my phone for a while and kept without one so my access was limited and to be honest I really enjoyed that time, once I got my phone back I found to be on it all the time opening and closing the same 2 apps constantly, I wondered what I’d been doing for the past month without it. It does feel good to not be on it and if I were to ever do it again it would be in my interest to take up new things to fill this time I am so effortlessly wasting.

Life would be completely different without social media, I have a younger 14 year old sister and her generations lack of interest for anything else is unbelievable. I believe life would be a much more positive place.

I would say, social media doesn’t have to be a negative space for you, if you rid everything that is making you feel a certain way and replace it with educational or positive posts/ influences you could possibly see a change in your mental state. To know that everything presented isn’t going to be accurate to real life and change your perspective on how you view these things. If you can’t get yourself off it, change how view it and use it. Also know that there are also so many  likeminded individuals.

BETH

When did you first use social media & for what purpose?

My cousin created it facebook for me when I was 11. At first I used it for games, then moved on to using Snapchat and insta to keep in touch with people when I left school. Now I tend not to use social media unless towards my career.

Have you seen a change in social media usage in your lifetime?

Yes. It’s gone from gaming to messaging to trying to build a following to sell products. For instance at the moment I’m planning to use it to get people to go to fitness classes I’m running. I also tend to scroll through other peoples posts just to stay up to date even if I don’t talk to those people anymore.

Have you ever been directly impacted by social media positively or negatively? (E.g cyber bullying or social media perks such as being paid for something)

When I was younger I had a few people I didn’t know call me a rat and tell me to kill myself and such. Also had people who messaged me to kinda ask for sexually charged stuff which makes social media so hard to deal with. It’s difficult to post something and get the response you want. If you post yourself for instance in a progress picture many will sexualise that and it’s hard to escape and feel comfortable posting. Never had anything positive out of it.

Do you think social media has made you view the world differently? How?

I think understanding that people try to post the perfect image of themselves can be difficult. I do try to follow people who have a positive influence on my world view like nutritionists and those who deal with mental health. This helps to me to stay inspired rather that fall into low mood thinking I’m not good enough. Social media also posts a lot of negative news in the world to raise awareness so you find out things that might not be raised on the news.

Do you think social media is detrimental to mental health? Yourself and others?

Yes!! I have sat there and cried on many occasions because I don’t feel good enough because I feel ugly because I’m not making enough of myself based on what I see on social media. It has lead to me having anxiety, depression and eating disorders. I always feel as though I shouldn’t post because no one cares about me as I don’t live a life that’s very exciting because I don’t feel comfortable showing skin all sorts. It’s taken a long time to understand that a lot of what’s posted isn’t real and doesn’t accurately represent people and therefore shouldn’t effect me.

Have you ever had a social media cleanse? Deleted social media/ gone off grid?

Yes but part of it was for attention as you want to see if anyone reaches out and cares. I can’t lie. But now a days I don’t use social media barely only when I’m really bored so have kind of got over the need to constantly update everyone and get attention out of posting it’s more used simply when I’m super bored or really love a photo.

How do you think life would be different without social media?

Yes everyone’s life would be different. But this is part of our culture now and the way that we connect with people. Social media enables us to talk and connect in a way that face to face communication does not. Especially during this pandemic it is imperative to spread information and talk to our families. But also to keep people motivated.

One thing you would say to someone struggling with there mental health due to what they see on social media?

Don’t worry about everyone else just focus on yourself.

KATIE

When did you first use social media & for what purpose?

Facebook - to keep in touch with my primary school friends (was definitely not 13 but oops)

Have you seen a change in social media usage in your lifetime?

100%. The design of social media applications such as Instagram, Facebook and twitter have changed so much over time. They have become much sleeker and now offer many more functions than before.

Have you ever been directly impacted by social media positively or negatively? (E.g cyber bullying or social media perks such as being paid for something)

Positively - I have found work experience and charities to volunteer with through social media!

I have never been directly impacted by social media in a negative way luckily, but I know many people who sadly have.

Do you think social media has made you view the world differently? How?

Yes. I noticed recently how much we live in a society where we expect things straight away and don’t like waiting. This is more of a negative view however social media is also great for this exact reason.

Do you think social media is detrimental to mental health? Yourself and others?

I think it has a large impact on mental health as people compare themselves to others. Although this could also be motivating however there is a fine line between this both detrimental and beneficial. For example, I quite often find myself looking at Instagram models and fitness people that I follow and feel both lower than them but also inspired to look more like them - however this could effect many people’s mental health if they already struggle with insecurities.

Have you ever had a social media cleanse? Deleted social media/ gone off grid?

Sometimes I stay off certain social media platforms for a few days at a time but I have never deleted the app as I know I will always go back to it.

How do you think life would be different without social media?

Life would not be as fast-paced however some incredible opportunities that come with the globalisation of our communities through social media would not be possible. For example, my best friend at high school moved to Australia and I am so grateful for social media as I am still able to keep in touch with her.

One thing you would say to someone struggling with there mental health due to what they see on social media?

Everyone is different, don’t compare yourself to those who live a completely altered life to the one you live yourself.

CHLOE

first used social media for myspace when i was rool young because i wanted to look cool in front of my brothers friends ahaha  

I have seen a change in social media in terms of the amount we all use it and how we do, it used to just be for keeping in touch with friends or your interests and now it’s becoming more unauthentic and polluted with advertisements and influencers

I have personally never been directly impacted by social media but I do know people that have experienced bullying and negative comments from strangers

I think social media has made me view the world differently in terms of how i see myself and comparing myself to others

I think social media can be very harmful for mental health in many different aspects but can also can be great for creating safe spaces and getting advice and help

I tried to do a social media cleanse for a day just to see how productive I could be without distractions but i didn’t even last 12 hours

I think life would be a lot different in terms out authenticity as a lot of the time i see people acting and posting things that don’t correlate with how they are face to face in real life

one thing i would say to someone struggling is to take a break and realise that everything you see on social media does not correlate to how most people actually live their lives and only portray the best moments