What about caregivers posting about the vulnerable people they care for? Like children, these adults cannot meaningfully give their consent to information being shared about them online or even to participation in a video in many cases. Sometimes it seems as if parents want to show the struggles they experience looking after someone with challenges. On the other hand, some parents want to share the love and humanity (which sometimes gets denied in our society) of people with disabilities. In a way these videos could help vulnerable persons be heard. It can be a tool for advocacy. Is it exploitative to post about them on the internet? Is it helpful? What do you think?
Thank you for sharing these videos! I was surprised by how many of these depict adult-age vulnerable members of the population-- I wonder if the discussion changes in this case. These videos appear at once exploitative and helpful, however I would argue that the latter outweighs the former if the video posters are profiting financially. What are your thoughts on this? Is the line crossed when money is involved?
ReplyDeleteI won't say if money is involved it will be exploitative.
DeleteConsidering lots advocacy organizations might need funding to work?
but i don't know.....If they treat children or vulnerable group as kind of "celebrity", exaggerating some parts(the one is sensational) but not the other, to attract people's attention, I think this across the ethical line.
Thanks for drawing connection between our topic and other vulnerable groups! On the one hand, it's obvious children and vulnerable groups need more protection. However, emphasizing their need to be protected, in the other hand, foreclosed their possible agency and rights in my point of view. In both cases, including sharing children's photos, and sharing other vulnerable groups videos, are taking away children and other vulnerable groups' right of self-representing. I believe it's exploited if those photos and video could not advance their right but only victimized those group.
ReplyDeleteGood points and I do see how this could be exploitative if billion dollar corporations that deal with people with disabilities like Autism Speaks, for example profit from these kinds of videos.
ReplyDeleteThe thing about taking away the right to self-represent is that in the case of people with severe Autism and similar conditions, sometimes others have to be a voice for them because they aren't able to express themselves but still need to be heard.