In September 2010 a Vancouver girl was slipped a date rape drug at a rave and then raped repeatedly by others at the party. This crime alone was disgusting enough and of course demeaning for the young teenage girl, however to make matters worse partygoers recorded the event in pictures and posted it onto the social network, Facebook.
The thought process these teens went through while uploading these pictures would have to be unexplainable, since I cannot see how anyone in their right mind would be able to contently watch such an awful crime, and on top of that record it, and even on top of that share it so openly with the world.
I think Facebook has made people so comfortable with sharing and letting people into each other lives, that major walls have been let down and people just simply do not know how to hold back anymore. By posting these pictures on facebook a crime was made visible to the entire networking platform and a young girls dignity was destroyed.
Sadly, anyone would be able to post insulting, racist, demeaning, negative images all over facebook, eventually the pictures maybe revoked however they still will remain somewhere in the Facebook world forever.
I believe that their should be serious consequences when people cross the line and expose a person in a negative way like the people in this situation did. Facebook needs to make sharing photos and information a positive experience only, and negativity should be punished and be seen as a serious issue.
Right now I could post something to hurt someone else's feelings, discriminate an entire culture, offend a certain sex. There is something about the internet that makes people feel safe and secure. Its almost like posting on the internet is not "for real" since it's not person to person, its person to internet and then to person. People should not feel safe behind their computer screens or feel as if they have a hidden identity, what you say on the net is just as effective as if you say it in person.
What we post on the internet lasts forever, even if it seems deleted it is still there. I think many Facebook users do not take this into consideration when writing status' and posting pictures. When a case like rape photos going viral happens Facebook and authorities need to take stronger action to stop these incidents and educate users that participating in this will result in serious consequences.
The internet has become such a free platform for opinion that people forget that they still have to follow law and respect the dignity of others. It is alarming to know that at any time your picture can be sent all over the social network and there is little you can do about it.
