The Fappening has been one of the highlights of 2014 for Internet users as a community, for good or bad – although most agree that it was not a very positive situation, as it revealed some of the more intricate, fundamental problems with how the Internet works, and what its future could hold for us. It’s no secret that a person’s privacy is a very delicate thing online, and this was proven multiple times through the various leaks of private photos by malicious hackers. And yet, at the same time, celebrities like Kim Kardashian have decided to take the bull by the horns by joining the trend on their own accord.
Is this a good or bad thing for the overall state of the Internet, however? On one hand, some have claimed that such actions could work very well for minimizing the overall harm from the hackers’ actions. On the other, it could also send out a message that celebrities are posing a challenge to those hackers, and it could drag people into the crossfire who never wanted anything to do with the situation in the first place.
While Kim Kardashian’s display was perhaps the most extreme, she wasn’t the only celebrity to willingly reveal her body for the masses. Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and others also went nude – either fully or partially – in moves that most described as attempts to gain attention. At the same time, those celebrities were never targeted explicitly by the leakers releasing private pictures of other celebrities, so the situation was certainly an interesting one, and could say some things about how this problem should be handled in the future.
What does this mean for 2015? Are we going to see even more celebrities letting go of their tops just to get some free publicity, or is the Fappening going to die down as a trend, as Internet users realize that the more they share and view these photos, the faster they’re cutting their own branch that they’re sitting on? And that’s not even an exaggeration, according to some experts.
Because if the current trend continues, it’s very likely that the Internet is going to need some changes in order to continue operating as a freely accessible service. As people get more and more worried about the safety of their private information, new laws might come in play that limit the individual’s freedom on the Internet, and this has been the main worrying factor for many commenters on the issue. For those leaking the pictures, it’s probably just mindless childish fun – but in the long term, it could have some serious repercussions that not everyone may see coming in time.