Let’s talk about #seggs.

by Ryan Deluchi

There’s no denying that censorship algorithms are created with the best of intentions. They aim to protect us from hate speech, offensive material and dangerous misinformation – and by and large, do a decent job of it.

But a catch-all approach to censorship is making it hard for positive conversations around taboo subjects to manifest. Important conversations at that.

Not all sex chat is designed to stimulate, not all depictions of breasts are designed to arouse and not all blood imagery is designed to shock.

In fact more often than not, content that features these subjects – be that posts on social platforms or adverts on TV – are aiming to educate, celebrate or destigmatise areas that have been traditionally and unnecessarily deemed taboo. 

By stifling these conversations, could it be that the algorithms are doing more harm than good to those (often young) people they are designed to protect?

We think so. People’s curiosity around sex and pleasure is still there – it just means they are forced to educate themselves elsewhere (i.e pornography), or to feel that they are somehow weird or different to everyone else. Neither of these outcomes is healthy or desirable.

Those that do try to force the issue on social media find themselves having to use acronyms and rhyme to do so. While some see this as empowering, others feel that having to use terms like #seggs to contribute to a public conversation about fundamental human behaviour reinforces the idea that sex is not something we should talk about.

Plenty of sexual wellness brands are facing this exact dilemma as they try to figure out how to connect with a young generation of consumers that demands honesty and rawness, without having their content removed. 

This isn’t a problem limited to social algorithms either. Tampax’s attempt at educating young women and girls on tampon insertion last year was shut down quickly after 84 complaints (from a population of 4.9m) were received about the TVC in Ireland last year.

With more and more young people fed up of the stigma around things that make us fundamentally human – sex, periods and breastfeeding to name just a few – it’s clear that something has to give soon.

Brands have a big part to play here, and essentially face two choices: be explicit, give the people what they want and at least leave an indelible mark on the conversation before inevitably getting censored, or get savvy with the hacks and loopholes that allow brands to stay in the conversation on social platforms, even if that means undermining your ultimate cause at times.

Neither is perfect, but both appear better options than letting archaic censorship structures dictate the narrative around sexual wellness.