I had the pleasure of speaking with photographer David Jay about his ever-evolving The Scar Project (acronym for "Surviving Cancer Absolute Reality"). David's photographs are striking. Then I got an email from David last fall alerting me about Facebook's decision to ban photographs from The SCAR Project from being posted on the Fan Page.
For years Facebook has maintained an imperious and stony silence against pleas from users and victims about its most objectionable content. But on May 27th, Facebook finally flinched. And then it cratered, caved and capitulated in the course of a single phone call after a one-week #fbrape campaign by the smartest feminists on the planet. By the time Glenford Canning's moving blog post to Mark Zuckerberg appeared on Huffington Post, Facebook was on the phone to campaign organizers, agreeing to every term demanded from the outset.
Are there no fathers working at Facebook? No brothers or husbands? Where are the men and why are they silent about a company policy that jokes about rape and violence against women are not wrong so long as they appear in the humour section? Allowing for rape jokes puts Facebook on the same level as all the other women-hating garbage out there in cyberspace. I can't image working for a company that would allow for something as sick as rape jokes. Not in my position. Not after seeing what rape did to my beautiful, talented daughter. I can still hear her cry and see the hurt on her face. Man to man, Mr. Zuckerberg, I need your help.
I've seen business owners and personal contacts tarnish their reputations with a few words or a few clicks, not fully realizing the power of the digital world we now live in. Every picture you post, every status or page you like, and every update you share is essentially announcing to the world who you are, permanently.
I wonder how many people realize the inherent dangers of the pictures they are sharing with the world. I understand that we all want to capture all of the memories that make up our lives, I'm just suggesting that we make sure we are only capturing the memories and not the entire diary of the event. Be safe.
Within milliseconds of the explosions, #BostonMarathon and #PrayForBoston were trending topics on Twitter. This is today's reality when it comes to tragedy. We live in a day and age where news finds us, we don't need to even look for it. Online, in the midst of tragedy, it's easy to spot those who care... those who don't... and those who would and do dare to make some sort of joke or cast blame before all of the facts have been sorted. While this online always-connected life exposes us to tragedy faster and with more detail and impact than ever before... it also allows us to feel connected, to reach out and support one another like never before.
Parents please continue to learn about the story attached to Amanda Todd and today do not hesitate to talk to your children about the new story of Rehtaeh Parsons. Talk to your children about mental health, talking about social media is the first step in educating your kids about social media safety and outline your expectations about how your children will utilise this powerful tool for communication.
Facebook can't fail. There are one billion users. Switching costs are just too high -- people can't go elsewhere when all of their friends are on Facebook. That's what the folks at Friendster and MySpace thought -- just before users abandoned them in droves. Facebook could be next -- especially if they keep interrupting their users.
Since its inception in January 2013, Facebook page Calgary Compliments has taken our city by storm. So what exactly is the purpose to a page like this? Unlike similar "confessions" pages which have been popping all over the interwebs, this compliments page is a civic outreach initiative to help Calgarians bond.
Is it any surprise that flashy headlines and fake celebrity death memes on Twitter get so much attention? In this era of digital narcissism, where our gateway to content is through the lens of the people we like and admire most, traditional and digital publishers must now grasp for attention in an even flashier way.
I am pretty honest in my photo representation of my life with my children on Facebook. I posted many pictures of my screaming newborns, and when my children are doing something particularly impertinent, I'll post that too. It's not lying to post a happy-looking picture that isn't really representative. It's not misleading.