By| The Duke Staff
In light of the massive uploading and sharing of numerous private celebrities photos, choice words have been used to describe the event that perhaps reveal even more about our society and it’s relationship with Hollywood.
What’s the difference between a ‘scandal’ and a ‘sex crime?’ ‘Public’ and ‘publicity?’ ‘Hacker,’ ‘cyber bully’ and ‘sex offender?’ Although Kirsten Dunst, Katie Upton and Ariana Grande can’t change the fact that their personal photos have been wrongfully stolen from them, the way in which we view them can.
Look back to 2007 when Disney Channel star Vanessa Hudgens was victim to personal nudes shared on the Internet. Hudgens was shamed into issuing an apology for her “lapse in judgment,” according to her publicist. In what world should blame be placed on a person whose intentions where clearly jeopardized, for the sake of perverted thefts?
These photos were private and were expected to stay private. It shouldn’t matter whether their photos of Jenifer Lawrence or Julie from down the street, women and men for that matter have every right to take photos of themselves and should assume they will remain safe.
This being said we can’t have it both ways. As we choose which words to define these incidences, we must also come to define what we want from the very tools we use every day. To place trust in a product the user knows little about is a risk. A risk we as a society often take in return for a more convenient option.
An awareness must be brought to the forefront of our minds when using such tools. As we put trust into our devices, we are also putting trust into those that the pictures are being sent to. You may be thinking, “What if I’m not even sending them, well exhibit A, even having these photos in your posession can lead to disasterous results. It may seem fundamental in practice but by simply not taking such photos would be the easiest way to avoid such controversy.
We illegal download whole discographies, movies and images but ask the same hand that feeds us to store our credit card information and important documents. We use our smart phones to find routes to foreign places but when batteries die we’re irrevocably lost. Our dependency and trust is become less a tool and more of a crutch every day.
Whether we admit it or not, the Internet plays a crucial rule in the lives of every person on the planet currently living. As we grow technology does as well, both positively and negatively. With each breakthrough in innovation comes along with it new threats and breaches that put information at risk.
