Digital Ownership
Image, Body Autonomy and Social Media
Topics of body autonomy are becoming more mainstream, especially with the rise of Me Too, but how do we begin to approach these in the digital realm? Issues concerning consent and bodily autonomy have always existed, but dealing within the digital landscape has only made them more complex. We have to worry about young kids posting their picture and who’s hands they may fall into. Sex work, as if it that debate could get more difficult, in the online world has made it both easier to claim power in your body as well as more dangerous when it comes to reach and trolls. Everything we set free into the ethosphere has the chance of being used in nefarious ways outside of our control. We are all cognizant of how theft or assault occur in real life, but the concept of it happening online is more difficult to grasp. Because of this, we detach from matters regarding internet privacy and neglect protecting ourselves, even as digital threats seep into everyday life.
Last week (9/15/20), model-influencer-actress Emily Ratajkowski penned an article in The Cut involving body autonomy. Her essay detailed her experience with abuse in the modeling industry and navigating the murky waters of image ownership in the age of social media. Most would assume being the subject of a photo means they have some claim in ownership over it, yet it doesn't always work that way. And with the accessibility social media lends to the private lives of "the elite," ownership and copyright laws are further blurred. An increasing number of paparazzi are suing celebrities for posting pictures of themselves on their social media feed without attributing credit. And as ridiculous as this seems to the general public, if policies don't catch up with current times, our own privacy and image rights could be at risk next.
Ratajkowski speaks on her own image and namesake being owned by a specific photographer and how disturbing it has been to see someone profit off your likeness. Some might think, "well she's a model, she signed up for this," even though we unknowingly sign our rights away we post a picture publicly on social media. Or even, "that's her job, the photographer owns those pictures," except that, due to standard business contracts, it specifically cited which images were to be used for their intended purpose. And that's what makes the conversation so complex, we can go back and forth all day on who owns what, who's right, who's wrong. But the reality is, there are no simple guidelines to follow or laws to refer to. This is just the tip of the iceberg, there are much seedier and grosser places on the internet exploiting images and stealing identities. I get it, being up in arms over problems of the rich and beautiful is tiresome, but this has less to do with celebrities being targets and more to do with our own privacy being threatened.
The stakes are only getting higher when it comes to protecting our digital footprint, whether that be intellectual property or selfies. Content creation runs the world right now. People more than ever are making genuine and legitimate careers out of their digital world. And as the rewards get bigger, so do the risks. If we own our digital image in the same way as our physical, when do we start protecting both equally?
