Censored, from the Archives: a Selective Timeline of Art Censorship on Social Media Platforms
Some of the oldest art objects we know of are small, hand-carved stone figurines from the Paleolithic Period which depict women with exaggerated features. As exemplified by the Venus of Willendorf — which art historians believe may have represented an early fertility deity — these statuettes symbolize the awesome power and “divinity” of procreation. The Venus of Willendorf in particular is the most well-known prehistoric depiction of a woman in the world and one of the earliest examples of manmade art. In ways both metaphysical and elemental, the Venus of Willendorf and statues like it epitomize our origins as human beings. Yet despite its centrality to the human story, art depicting the body has faced relentless censorship, investigation, and inquisition. Most recently, social media giants have doggedly maintained this historical tradition, scrubbing artwork from their platforms that they deem unsuitable for the internet.
Interview with Lips Founder, Annie Brown
With lips, we did a lot of very intentional co design work from the very beginning. So we worked with users to determine what they liked about social media, what they don't like about social media. So the things they liked about social media, we kept the same, you know, the ability to share images, likes, you know, the ability to repost things, things like that. And then things that they didn't like, like the algorithm promoting certain people over other people. The rampant hate speech and exploitative content, the removing marginalized users from the platform's those things we addressed. While you might log into lips and see, okay, it looks a lot like Instagram. There are a lot of small things and big things that are different. And those were all intentional and designed alongside with the community. I'll give you an example. When you log into the app, you’re walked through the community guidelines before you get into the app. So it's not like the community guidelines or something you go out of your way to try to find the community guidelines set the foundation for what the space is intended to be.
Artists under Siege: Deterioration of digital spaces and state-led erasure of dissident voices
Artists in the region, many of whom come from already marginalized communities, will face devastating sociopolitical and financial precarity as a result of these actions. Despite the numerous political, social, and cultural differences exhibited throughout the region, there is continuity in the legal imposition of censorship against dissidents directly challenging artists, who, through their craft, exhibit the realities and abuses endured within their respective countries. Artists are activists, human rights defenders, cultural rights defenders, and just like any other human being, have political beliefs and opinions. Given the power of art to question social and political constructs, actions such as those in Russia call attention to artistic expression online and how it has increasingly come under attack. In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, dissident Russian artists face an even more severe crackdown on their free expression as the Russian government clamps down viciously on anti-war sentiments. These efforts have included foreign agent laws made to target news outlets and silence dissent that receives support from abroad, to the creation of fake news laws in March of 2022 and amendments used to fine or jail opposition for critiquing the military, among other actions.
Hope
Writing does not come natural to me and I don’t know what to add to the topic as there is so much to write about that I feel hopeless. For instance I learned this image was removed yesterday from Instagram on the new @boysfineart page even after appeal. They have already had their original @queer_art_photography account completely removed. The absurdity and frustration has reached new heights. When I wrote my public letter back in 2017 I was fueled with energy to help make change. I honestly believed artists working with the body would find a way to coexist in the mainstream social media world but it is far worse now. I have seen movements come and go that have attempted to challenge the Facebook/Meta dictatorship to no avail. We are backed into a corner with little hope of making it out. I know change takes (a lot of) time but how many artists will not stick around to weather the storm? What will be left on these platforms without challenging art?