The case of speaker and the paradox of Instagram – Ateneu
Silly It is one of the entities that are part of the Ateneu Cooperativa del Baix Llobregat. From his educational and transformative work, he works sexuality by putting people, care, gender and respect at the center. It does so with a feminist and community look, away from clichés and simplifications, and with a firm commitment to sex education as a tool for prevention, freedom and coexistence.
A few days ago, Defera has launched the campaign “Reality or fiction”a series of interviews with actresses and actors on the Catalan scene that reflect on consent, aesthetic pressure, the representation of sexuality and gender roles in the audiovisual world. A brave, necessary and deeply pedagogical initiative that seeks to open conversations and promote changes.
But Instagram did not understand that way.
Several videos of the campaign have been Automatically removed by platform algorithmwhich has interpreted the word “sex” as inappropriate content, although the context was clearly educational and respectful. This is not only anecdotal: it highlights a deeper and more worrying problem.
When the algorithms make censors
Leave in the hands of an algorithm the decision on what can be said and what cannot have serious consequences. Especially when this algorithm is unable to distinguish between pornography and sex education, between empty hypersexualization and work committed to a more respectful society.
This case highlights the paradox of social media: While many contents that reinforce sexist stereotypes or object to bodies circulate without obstacles, projects that want to question them and offer a critical look are often invisible, silenced or censored.
The right to educate, also on the networks
Rigorous, open and inclusive sex education is an essential tool for preventing violence, combating oppressive gender roles and building healthy relationships. It is no crime to talk about sexuality. The problem is not the word “sex”, but the context in which it is spoken and how it is addressed.
For this reason, from the Ateneu Cooperativa del Baix Llobregat we want to express all our support to the speaker and so many other entities that, like her, work for a more just, free and egalitarian society, also from the digital field.
It is necessary to open the debate on the power of the algorithms and the need to guarantee digital spaces that do not penalize pedagogy, reflection and commitment to human rights.
Censorship is not neutral. And when it affects projects that want to transform the world from respect, it affects us all.
You can retrieve all of Instagram censured videos on the channel YouTube d’Abellater.
