Hot Topic #5: The Ramifications of Sexual Imagery in the Digital Age

Media outlets are abuzz with articles about sexting, the practice of sending nude or semi-nude photos of oneself via cell phones or posting them on the Internet. Approximately 20% of all teenagers have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves, according to Sex and Tech: Results from a Survey of Teens and Young Adults, a December 2008 survey conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

Much of the concern is due to underage teens who broadcast or post their images voluntarily, as well as those whose images are forwarded widely without their consent. Authorities concerned about child pornography have taken actions ranging from threatening arrest to making arrests that land young adults on sex offender lists.   

College students are usually old enough to distribute their images any way they wish; however, they should understand the potential ramifications of recording sexually suggestive or graphic images on their computers, phones, Facebook, MySpace, Girls/Guys Gone Wild DVDs, YouTube and YouPorn, and other media outlets. 

Chapter 18 of Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity addresses sexual and pornographic images and their impact on individuals and society. The chapter is an excellent foundation for in-class activities that engage students in considering the effects of the images they are creating of themselves and their peers. The following activities can be used to expand students’ thinking about these issues.

Activity #1: Charting Your Online Image 

If you have internet access and a projection screen, conduct an online image and information search for a celebrity known for having sexual images or videos published, such as Paris Hilton or rocker Tommy Lee. Find articles, photos, YouTube video clips, blogs, Facebook fan pages, etc. To ensure the activity’s success, locate applicable web pages ahead of time. If you lack internet access in your classroom, print out handouts of some of the information you find.

Engage students in a discussion of how the celebrity is portrayed.

• Are they images positive, neutral or negative? 
• Was the celebrity a willing participant in the creation of the images?
• What rights to privacy should celebrity’s be allowed?
• How would it feel to lose control over one’s image?

For homework, instruct students to gather as many images of themselves as possible from Facebook (their own and others’ pages), MySpace, Google Images, friends’ blogs, etc. Tell them to print out the information they find for their evaluation – you will not be collecting it (this is to protect their privacy). Explain that while they have never posted photos or information about themselves, their friends may have. Assign a one-page written exploration of the students’ findings and feelings about their image as it is portrayed online. If they find no information, they can write about how that feels. Are they proud to have a clean slate, or are they disappointed?  Have they taken action to remove images and comments friends or foes may have posted?  Collect only the writing assignment, not the information the students find online.

Activity #2: Would You Hire This Candidate?

This think-pair-share activity will help students understand how the sexual images college students create and distribute today may affect their ability to find future employment.             Pair students into triads and distribute a handout with the scenarios below. Read the scenarios and follow-up questions aloud to the class before instructing the pairs to choose a scenario to discuss. Tell them they will have 5-10 minutes of discussion before they will pair with another triad to share their answers. Allow 15-20 minutes for the second discussion before bringing the class together as one large group to review their findings.

Scenario 1

You are a new parent, ready to return to work after your maternity/paternity leave. You have found a fabulous child care provider your child loves, but while investigating this person’s background, you found online photos of the candidate in varied states of undress and sexual activity.

• Would you hire this person?  Why or why not?
• Would you discuss the photos with the candidate? If so, what would be your objective for the conversation, and how would you initiate it?
• How might the photos affect your relationship with the candidate or your willingness to introduce the child care provider to your friends?

Scenario 2

You are interviewing a highly qualified young candidate for a job. You’ve seen this person’s resume and are eager to learn more; however, you recognize the candidate from an amateur sex video you found posted on YouPorn (an internet channel).

• Would you hire this person?  Why or why not?
• Would you mention the video with the candidate? If so, what would be your objective for the conversation, and how would you initiate it?
• If you were the candidate, would you have denied being in the video, or would you address the issue honestly?

To wrap up this activity, read the following job interviewing tips from career search counselor John Hadley, of John Hadley Associates, LLC (http://www.jhacareers.com ):

Most employers who locate something online that is sexually suggestive or graphic won’t let on that they’ve found anything; they’ll simply take you out of the running for the job. You need to ask leading questions to get an explanation from the employer.

If you know the employer is likely to find something compromising online, one strategy is to reveal it up front, thereby eliminating the element of surprise during an interview. Prepare for the interview by practicing your explanation and responses to questions with a friend, asking for brutally honest feedback. Work on it until you can deliver your message confidently, professionally and without negative emotions.

During the interview, provide the simplest possible statement. If the interviewer wants more information, share a bit more but resist going into detail. Stay very professional, upbeat, and confident in your ability to provide great value to a new employer. Your story might be something like, “When I was in college, there was something on MySpace that I’m not proud of. I learned from that experience to keep all public behavior professional and to maintain strict boundaries between my personal and professional life.”

Then, shift the focus to the future and why you are a great candidate. 

How do you bring hot topics into your Human Sexuality classroom? How can you refine a lesson based on the Carroll text? I invite you to contact me for help. Reach me at Carroll3e@cengage.com.

Melanie J. Davis, MEd, teaches Human Sexuality as well as Marriage and the Family at Moravian College. She is a doctoral candidate in Human Sexuality Education and is the owner of Honest Exchange LLC, a sexuality consulting and resource development practice based in Somerville, NJ. Melanie is a partner in the New Jersey Center for Sexual Wellness, located in Bedminster, NJ.