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– Islamic State beheading videos
– Britney Spears’ shaved head
– Rob Ford on crack
– Rihanna’s swollen face after being attacked by Chris Brown
– Joan Rivers’ live-tweeted life support
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Because this is normal relationship behavior. It's one of those generational things that older readers might not fathom, but for anyone who has grown up in the eye of a smartphone lens it seems natural. We all take pictures of ourselves, some of them pornographic, and will continue to do so as long as humans fap and smartphones are available on contract. The "pics or it didn’t happen" rule has filtered into the fabric of everyday relationships, and surveys show that the majority of us are at ease with the idea of sexting. One Vox piece aptly noted that telling young people not to take these pictures is another form of abstinence education. They’re going to happen, and it’s up to us to teach responsibility rather than condemnation.The unpleasant truth is that every child after the late 80s was born with human SEO, along with a duty to maintain it. We willingly pose and download and blindly click through terms and conditions, feeding the surveillance society we live in. We’re used to being sold out and repeatedly failed by our technology: why not just admit defeat and give our bodies to the internet? Already our past selves are littered all over it: our surly LiveJournal accounts we’ve forgotten the password to, those drunk photos from Freshers Week, that clothing malfunction on a beach trip… Which brings me to my final point: by the time the Snapchat generation comes of age, all of us will be naked on the internet. We might as well get used to it now. I’m not saying it’s fair or remotely ethical that photos are leaked, or hacked, or posted by angry ex-boyfriends. But by accepting the inevitable we can begin to regain some control.Follow Roisin Kiberd on TwitterPeople are titillated by leaked nude photos BECAUSE it is nonconsensual. Please consider that before you go searching for images.
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) August 31, 2014