There was uproar last week when Facebook controversially took down the iconic image of a girl bolting away from the napalm attack during the Vietnam war between 1955 and 1975. Why? Because she was naked!
The picture was posted by Norwegian writer Tom Egeland on Facebook which led to his account being suspended. But after several criticisms including an open letter addressed to Facebook by a Norwegian newspaper as well as Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway re-posting the picture, it was prompted to make a U-turn, apologised and allowed the image.
These are some of the issues social media have to deal with in this digital age. The question of what constitute nudity on social media is yet unanswered.
What constitutes nudity on social media?
We remove photographs of people displaying genitals or focusing in on fully exposed buttocks. We also restrict some images of female breasts if they include the nipple, but we always allow photos of women actively engaged in breastfeeding or showing breasts with post-mastectomy scarring.
We also allow photographs of paintings, sculptures and other art that depicts nude figures. Restrictions on the display of both nudity and sexual activity also apply to digitally created content unless the content is posted for educational, humorous or satirical purposes. Explicit images of sexual intercourse are prohibited. Descriptions of sexual acts that go into vivid detail may also be removed.
This policy applies, but is not limited, to:
Pornography, including internet pornography and magazines, books and films, Prostitution and intimate companionship services, such as escorts or call girls, full and partial nudity, as well as sexual content, in images, video or language, Penis enlargement and breast enhancement products and service, Modeled clothing (such as lingerie) that is sexual in nature, Dating sites with sexually explicit themes, language or images, intimate and erotic massage services, Sex toys, International marriage brokerage services (e.g., mail-order bride services) and dating and marriage services.
You may not post violent, nude, partially nude, discriminatory, unlawful, infringing, hateful, pornographic or sexually suggestive photos or other content via the Service.
Of course, these social media networks have their work cut out as they make concerted attempt to define nudity and streamline posted images.
Despite these efforts, some users have gone overboard with their social media activities. So, in a craze to become popular, get more likes, followers, and engagements, some users put up provocative pictures that expose sensitive parts of the body. If efforts are not made now to caution them, you may be seeing unclad individuals ruling the social media world.
Therefore, some people agree with the decision of Facebook to remove the napalm image and block persons who posted this image. This is probably because the image may be at odds with the cultural and moral values of conservative societies like Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Understandably, this may not be surprising to many because there is little or no social media censorship. So, everyone can do whatever they like on social media. Therefore, this hullabaloo about decent social media images is coming at the right time when there is a need to define social media nudity.
