Blog #2: Identifying Issues Raised Through Video Content

TED TALK Video Recap

 

 Darieth Chisholm TED TALK

    In today’s day and age, technology is advanced. At one click of a button your most precious information can be dispersed into the world for many to see, many to share, many to steal, and many to determine who you are as a person in society. With technology being so advanced, it ensures that what is put out there on the internet by you directly or indirectly by another person sharing information about you, can have the potential to be out there forever. Ultimately, ruining a persons reputation and livelihood for years to come if not forever. The TED TALK: How Revenge Porn Turns Lives Upside Down By: Darieth Chisolm is a prime example of this. Darieth Chisholm an educated woman with a high class job, life took a halt when she had recieved a call that nude photos and videos of her had been displayed on sites for viewers to see. She was unaware of this happening and never consented to this happening in the first place. Instead, she was in disbelief and began compiling ways to resolve the situation she was in. This woman had been humiliated, embarrassed, ashamed, depressed, angered, and silenced. As her emotions took a toll on her mental health, she did not allow that to stop her. Instead it made her strive for justice even more against her stalkier ex boyfriend who tried to take her down with weapons including threatening texts, revenge porn, and cyber harassment. He wanted to portray Darieth a woman who is a well known news anchor, life and business coach of 20 years as a low-life sleazy woman. 

    The topic of discussion does not specifically affect me as I have never been in Darieth Chisholms shoes, but there is a constant cycle of women being taunted with this shameful tactic. Throughout my years of living, I have seen and heard of multiple stories of women I know or know of having to experience going through someone personally releasing graphic personal photos of them due to conflicts with another person. This affects not only the individual physically and mentally, but also hinders that persons privacy which should be protected at all costs. If the person did not consent to another person sharing graphic personal photos of them, how can they be guaranteed safety. Not only that, but how can other current and future generations of women be protected as well. It is time to have implemented laws that guarantee a reasonable punishment for perpetrators. Throughout the media, they use the term "Revenge Porn," to describe such heinous acts. Darieth describes it exactly as it should be "Digital Domestic Violence." She defines it as someone who can not physically break you down, so they use other weapons through technology to get to you. Within her TED TALK she provides research stating that 1 in 25 women are impacted by revenge porn daily. In addition to that, 1 in 10 women under the age of 30 years old suffer this consequence as well. Women are known to be the main victims of this, but even if roles were reversed it would not be acceptable either. 

    Overall, there is lack of legislation and laws to protect victims and punish individuals. Some states have laws in place such as civil misdemeanors, but is that really enough. Suspects end up paying a small fine and leave free potentially not learning from their mistake and doing it again. The government should have implemented laws for situations like Darieth Chrisolm's stating the offense, how much time you will get in prison, and a much heftier fine. In order to protect ourselves and invasions of privacy, there should be contracts in place, tracking and trace devices, to name a few.