It has not always been the case that adult content has been treated as something external to art, culture or society.ĭepictions of sexual practices can be traced back to ancient civilisations. The sequestering of sex is not an inevitable response. Containing the democratisation of culture There is evidence about the human rights impact of anti-trafficking campaigns, which can victimise those they are intended to protect.īut the pressure to be seen as proactive partners in response to trafficking and child abuse is so significant that tech companies are willing to erase sex completely from their platforms and accept sex as a necessary casualty. Now sex workers are now being effectively erased from social media. Indeed, adult content was reportedly responsible for 20% of traffic to Tumblr. They helped sites like Tumbr to flourish by populating the platforms with content, increasing their size and commercial viability. They designed, coded, built and used websites and cryptocurrencies to advertise and transact in the context of criminalisation. Instead, this blunt law has shut down sites that law enforcement could use to trace criminal activity, platforms where survivors could seek assistance, and forums where sex workers could screen safety information. Unfortunately this legislation has not improved grievance avenues for those experiencing exploitation. Phanatic/Flickr, CC BY Purging sex workersĪlthough Tumblr maintains its policy change was unrelated to its failure to effectively filter child pornography, the decision comes against the backdrop of the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA), which was passed in the United States in April.įOSTA prompted platforms such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook to amend their terms of service to preclude nudity, sexual content and sexual services in order to avoid charges of promoting or facilitating sex work. Pornography became a pejorative term that served to preserve and maintain the status of art. It was used to distinguish lowbrow forms of cultural consumption for the masses from highbrow forms of art for the elite. Pornographic photography became a scapegoat. It prompted fears about proximity (its corporeal effect on the viewer), danger (its seductive power) and contagion (its potential to harm or infect). ![]() While traditional paintings sought to imitate the real, photography was considered "too real" and "too close". The demarcation of art as something distinct from pornography was influenced by the increasing availability of photography in the 19th century, which threatened the very existence of art. But this policy reinforces a tenuous conceptual distinction between art and pornography. Tumblr will continue to allow written erotica and artistic nudity, which is defined as "nudity found in art, such as sculptures and illustrations". These policies restrict representations of women's bodies to their reproductive functions and repeat the tired framing of women's bodies through medical lenses, at the expense of pleasure. ![]() health-related situations, such as post-mastectomy or gender confirmation surgery.
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