Social pornography (Norwegian: ''sosialpornografi'') is a term used in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and elsewhere to describe a type of
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...
through which persons are exposed in an intimate way, especially in matters or situations of private or tragic nature, as a form of entertainment to satisfy a need to "watch" (akin to "
''peeping''"). Social pornography often has no other purpose than entertainment, and can be considered an example of
invasion of privacy. The term is especially used when concerning persons less able to safeguard their own interests and understand the consequences of making themselves available for the press in this way, i.e. children or people with few resources.{{Citation needed, date=August 2019
It can be controversial where the limits go for what constitutes social pornography and what is deemed to be
newsworthy. For example, a news coverage may transcend to social pornography depending on what details the media choose to make public or focus on. It has been asserted that the media coverage of
terror attacks
The following is a list of terrorist incidents that have not been carried out by a state or its forces (see state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism). Assassinations are listed at List of assassinated people.
Definitions of terroris ...
at times are of a social pornographic nature, which can cause an excessive fear of terrorism.
Some
reality TV shows are considered to be social pornography, for example ''
Big Brother
Big Brother may refer to:
* Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four''), a character from George Orwell's novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''
** Authoritarian personality, any omnipresent figure representing oppressive control
** Big Brother Awards, a sat ...
'' and ''
Ex on the Beach''.
Psychologists have stated that some "help TV" programs border on social pornography. Examples of such types of programs are where the participant(s) are
compulsive hoarders, have embarrassing illnesses or economic problems.
Dagbladet Newspaper – English translation: Confession from a Television Viewer (Norwegian original: En tilståelse fra en tv-seer)
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See also
* Inspiration porn
* Poverty porn
* Rubbernecking
* Sensationalism
In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emotion ...
References
External links
Sosialpolitikk eller sosialpornografi? En analyse av sosialpolitiske reportasjer i pressen
(1984) av Roel Puijk, Helge Østbye og Else Øyen, Universitetsforlaget. (English title: Social Policy or Social Pornography? – University of Bergen)
Ethics
Journalism