Boy meets girl. Boy dates girl. Love and sex fill the air. All captured in graphic detail on camera. Things go sour. They break-up. The boy is miffed. Shares pictures online. The girl’s world comes crashing down.
We’re referring to what is popularly called ‘revenge porn’. It is described as the act of sharing personal and intimate pictures or videos of partners/exes, out of spite and without consent on social and digital media. It used to be a rarity but is now so alarmingly frequent, that it affects 1 in 4 young Indian adults.
Love Matters, a global youth platform that addresses gender and relationships, partnered with communications agency Ogilvy, to bring this topic to the fore with a campaign titled #EndRevengePorn.
Vithika Yadav, who heads Love Matters India said, “Almost half the world’s population is now online and billions of young people are using a variety of digital platforms. Sharing of private, sexual materials–photos, videos or texts-is increasingly common as part of communication within relationships of young people worldwide. However, the responsibilities and risks associated with being online and sharing intimate material are not really talked about.”
Yadav also spoke about how “Parents tend to think of their children as victims but not as perpetrators when it comes to sharing intimate material online without the consent of their partner or person involved.”
On how this affects the mental wellbeing of a person, Yadav said, “The effects of being violated in digital space are real. Young people all over the world report serious health effects – depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts when their intimate pictures and videos are put online without their knowledge and they are subjected to shame, uninvited comments, criticism, ridicule, and attack in digital spaces.” Yadav also reiterated the urgent need to address this issue. “This is revenge porn and it is an increasing concern. We have to be aware and we need to address this issue with young people, parents, teachers, and schools not only in India but around the world.”
Burzin Mehta, Group Creative Director at Ogilvy, the agency that created the campaign concurred. “Almost everything we do today leaves behind a digital footprint. And dating is no different. While love has taken on a new avatar, so has revenge.”
Mehta went on to add that “Some say it’s reaching epidemic proportions which is why it was important to bring this issue into the public conscience. Especially in India where data costs are among the lowest in the world and audio/video clips of rape are bought and sold.”
“The clip that’s at the heart of the campaign is created to not only help spread awareness about the issue, but also help millions of Indians understand what revenge porn is,” Mehta said, adding “Hopefully, it’ll spark more open and honest dialogues between parents and children. And help to create laws that let perpetrators know they can’t get away with what can only be defined as online violence.”
The campaign which had twitter abuzz has been seeded on digital streaming platforms as well as websites that are known for the proliferation of such content.