We started the assignment by choosing between 4 different questions and completing its associated activities. The question I chose was “What is Revenge Porn (and What Laws Pertain to It)?”. The associated activities with this question included reading 5 articles. Following this, I had to post on the discussion board, including which question I chose to learn the answer to, why I chose the question, and answer the question, by referencing specific articles I read.
I chose to learn about my question because I really do not know much about the subject and was interested in learning what it was. I also wanted to learn how prevalent or important it is in today’s society. I know that it exists, but it is not something I hear much about in the media personally.
From the different articles, I learned that revenge porn involves circulating nude or other invasive photos of women without their consent. This can be initiated by ex-boyfriends, but also hackers infiltrating computers and stealing these photos. Revenge porn can include videos too, not just pictures.
From the articles, I learned that the laws that pertain to it vary throughout the country. For example, in Wisconsin, revenge porn is a misdemeanor that can result in nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine. However, only 13 states have passed laws that ban revenge porn.
This problem is now being looked at on social media sites, such as Twitter. Revenge porn is now a violation of user rules. However, although people are beginning to address the issue, there is still a long way to go, in both state legislation and on social media.
This information I just described it what I learned from the 5 articles, and it is very similar to what I wrote about in my discussion board post.
Reflecting on this assignment, first I think it was fantastic that there were 4 different question choices to choose from. This is now a couple times in this course where we have had a choice and having 4 options really opened up my possibilities. It made me more excited to work on the assignment because I was not forced to follow a path of information that I was not interested in. Having the choice allowed me to be more engaged and work harder on the assignment.
Additionally, I found the topic itself to be kind of fascinating. Personally, I really have not been a part of or have seen any revenge porn, so it was a learning experience for me. Even though it was interesting, it was very sad, because the young women who are victims of these crimes do not deserve the punishment they have to face. It is repulsive that people will expose others’ private body areas without their consent.
Reading up on this topic brought me a lot of knowledge of where we are currently with the issue, and how far we still have to go. As I stated previously, we are going in the right direction, but we are so far away from where we need to be. All states and all of the social media platforms should have laws against revenge porn, and hopefully, one day that will happen.
Finally, referring to each individual article was valuable because it allowed me to really engage with the material more. Reading all of the articles, starting my post, and going back through each article to find more information lead me to engage with the material multiple times at least. This will lead me to remember the information for longer, which is important with a complex issue such as revenge porn.
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