Today I shared on my personal facebook a photograph that an inspiring photographer (and friend) took recently to raise awareness around breast cancer. Her beautiful and courageous model has fought the fight with thyroid and breast cancer, undergone a mastectomy and bears the scars of her treatment. She is photographed 33 weeks pregnant (a miracle), baring her remaining breast and showing the scars of her treatment.
Her original posting was removed from facebook and her account was disabled along with others that had shared her image. The response from facebook was that "We remove content, disable accounts, and work with law enforcement when we believe there is a genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety." Her story of bravery, courage and inspiration was seen as a genuine risk. The irony is that our social media feeds are flooded with both the inane and the disturbing.
It was a no-brainer for me to share this image and to support her fight against the moral judgers employed by the social media giant. I believe that in our media and social media that we need to have and see more images of empowered people who have a positive story and who raise awareness and inspire others. Too much of our social media feeds are biased towards the negative, lack of tolerance, lack of respect and lack of compassion - too many of us negatively react to an exposed nipple while our children play beat up and blow up games on their devices. I believe that if we censor all images of naked women or that if we unable to discern the difference between images that denigrate women and images that are respectful and celebrate women then how do we expect to to teach our children to know the difference and to create social change. I chose to share this powerful image of hope because there are miracles in life in spite of the battle scars. I shared this image to support this defiant woman in her journey not to be defined by her disease but through the example of her life experiences to be a beacon of hope with the unquestionable courage to live life with a positive attitude.
The broader issue here is that when we sign up to any of these "free" social media sites we are signing up to have our information feeds manipulated and biased based on sophisticated algorithms that are designed to "give us more of what we and our friends prefer". The inverted commas are intentional and infer a tone of cynicism and sarcasm. The "free" service is a contract for social conditioning. For decades the power of subliminal messaging, and advertising has been well documented. Social media organisation hold enormous amounts of power to influence. In May this year there were a series of articles about facebook's influence on political voting, and the suppression of stories to influence social outcomes. In 2014, facebook undertook a massive mood manipulation study all under the guise of "doing it for science". (again intentional inverted commas for the same reason already mentioned). The question that comes most to mind for me is : Who is watching the watcher of our online activity?
I recently came across the Wayseers video - the delivery is at times over-zealous, but the underlying messages are thought provoking and hints at the social conditioning that underscores social media. He says, "Society is full of games programmed to keep peoples' minds occupied so they will not revolt. These games often cause sick fixations on peculiar protocols, power structures, taboos and domination - all subtle forms of human bondage - This distinct form of madness is not only tolerated by the masses but insisted upon. The programmed ones believe in rules so forcefully they become willing to destroy anyone who violates them. Wayseers are the ones who call their bluff. Since Wayseer minds are free to reject social programming, Wayseers readily see social institutions for what they are - imaginary games. Wayseers comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable."
Flying Solo Tip 074365 : Find courage to stand in your own power, even if, as a result, you face a tide of rejection.