Local Flowers Christmas Cards 2019
The Pittwater Natural Heritage Association (PNHA) will be at Avalon Market Day on Sunday November 17, in Dunbar Park Avalon.
Find out what we've been up to. Our display of weeds and weed information is unique to PNHA - we're there to help you!
Our range of $2.00 cards with flora, fauna and local scenery is bigger than ever, great for Christmas. Photos from last year below - weed chat, and cards.
Tuesday 5th November - Melbourne Cup
So, the whole nation stops to watch the race BUT we'll keep making the bags...........
Please come and join us for as long as you can, we'll be there from 11.30am-3.30pm - Avalon Community Centre.
Why not wear a hat or fascinator or fancy frock. Prize for the most popular.
Beryl, one of the original volunteers and pictured here with Laurel, popped in on Tuesday with about 20 bags she'd made at home.
If you're keen to make bags at home, we have plenty of fabric available. If coming to collect it on a Tuesday is difficult please contact us and we'd be DELIGHTED to make alternative arrangements so you can help with our bag production.
AVALON MARKET DAY
SUNDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2019 9am to 4pm
It's on again and we're delighted to have a stall in Dunbar Park. As the largest local market in Sydney, the streets of Avalon come alive with music, stalls, food and more. We'd love to see you and if you can spare some time, come and join us on the stall.
All enquiries to Laurel please or reply to this email: boomerangbagsavalon@hotmail.com
Thanks to the Market Day committee for supporting our initiative and giving us a community space.
Most Native Bird Species Are Losing Their Homes; Even The Ones You See Every Day
October 29, 2019
by Jeremy Simmonds, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Conservation Science, The University of Queensland
Alvaro Salazar, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Queensland
James Watson, Professor, The University of Queensland
Martine Maron, ARC Future Fellow and Professor of Environmental Management, The University of Queensland
Across parts of Australia, vast areas of native vegetation have been cleared and replaced by our cities, farms and infrastructure. When native vegetation is removed, the habitat and resources that it provides for native wildlife are invariably lost.
Our environmental laws and most conservation efforts tend to focus on what this loss means for species that are threatened with extinction. This emphasis is understandable – the loss of the last individual of a species is profoundly sad and can be ecologically devastating.
Read more: An end to endings: how to stop more Australian species going extinct
But what about the numerous other species also affected by habitat loss, that have not yet become rare enough to be listed as endangered? These animals and plants — variously described as “common” or of “least concern” — are having their habitat chipped away. This loss usually escapes our attention.
These common species have intrinsic ecological value. But they also provide important opportunities for people to connect with nature - experiences that are under threat.
The “loss index”: tracking the destruction
We developed a measure called the loss index to communicate how habitat loss affects multiple Australian bird species. Our measure showed that across Victoria, and into South Australia and New South Wales, more than 60% of 262 native birds have each lost more than half of their original natural habitat. The vast majority of these species are not formally recognised as being threatened with extinction.
It is a similar story in the Brigalow Belt of central New South Wales and Queensland. The picture is brighter in the northern savannas across the top of Australia, where large tracts of native vegetation remain – notwithstanding pervasive threats such as inappropriate fire regimes.
We also found that in some areas, such as Southeast Queensland and the Wet Tropics region of north Queensland, the removal of a single hectare of forest habitat can affect up to 180 different species. In other words, small amounts of loss can affect large numbers of (mostly common) species.
Our index allowed us to compare how different groups of birds are impacted by habitat loss. Australia’s iconic parrots have been hit hard by habitat loss, because many of these birds occur in the places where we live and grow our food. Birds of prey such as eagles and owls have, as a group, been less affected. This is because many of these birds occur widely across Australia’s less developed arid interior.
This map shows the number of bird species affected by habitat loss in any region. Grey zones indicate parts of Australia where habitat loss has not occurred. Blue zones have up to 90 species affected by habitat loss, yellow is up to 120 species affected, while the highest category, red, is up to 187 species affected. Conservation Biology
Habitat loss means far fewer birds
Our study shows many species have lost lots of habitat in certain parts of Australia. We know habitat loss is a major driver of population declines and freefalling numbers of animals globally. A measure of vertebrate population trends — the Living Planet Index — reveals that populations of more than 4,000 vertebrate species around the world are on average less than half of what they were in 1970.
In Australia, the trend is no different. Populations of our threatened birds declined by an average of 52% between 1985 and 2015. Alarmingly, populations for many common Australian birds are also trending downwards, and habitat loss is a major cause. Along Australia’s heavily populated east coast, population declines have been noted for many common species including rainbow bee-eater, double-barred finch, and pale-headed rosella.
Declining common species - rainbow bee-eater (left); double-barred finch (top right); pale-headed rosella (bottom right) Jim Bendon, G. Winterflood, Aviceda
This is a major problem for ecosystem health. Common species tend to be more numerous and so perform many roles that we depend on. Our parrots, pigeons, honeyeaters, robins, and many others help pollinate flowers, spread seeds, and keep pest insects in check. In both Europe and Australia, declines in common species have been linked to a reduction in the provision of these vital ecosystem services.
Common species are also the ones that we most associate with. Because they are more abundant and familiar, these animals provide important opportunities for people to connect with nature. Think of the simple pleasure of seeing a colourful robin atop a rural fence post, or a vibrant parrot dashing above the treetops of a suburban creek. The decline of common species may contribute to diminished opportunities for us to interact with nature, leading to an “extinction of experience”, with associated negative implications for our health and well-being.
We mustn’t wait until it’s too late
Our study aims to put the spotlight on common species. They are crucially important, and yet the erosion of their habitat gets little focus. Conserving them now is sensible. Waiting until they have declined before we act will be costly.
These species need more formal recognition and protection in conservation and environmental regulation. For example, greater attention on common species, and the role they play in ecosystem health, should be given in the assessment of new infrastructure developments under Australia’s federal environment laws (formally known as the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).
We should be acting now to conserve common species before they slide towards endangerment. Without dedicated attention, we risk these species declining before our eyes, without us even noticing.
Whales And Dolphins Found In The Great Pacific Garbage Patch For The First Time
October 28, 2019
by Chandra Salgado Kent
Associate Professor, School of Science, Edith Cowan University
Scientific research doesn’t usually mean being strapped in a harness by the open paratroop doors of a Vietnam-war-era Hercules plane. But that’s the situation I found myself in several years ago, the result of which has just been published in the journal Marine Biodiversity.
As part of the Ocean Cleanup’s Aerial Expedition, I was coordinating a visual survey team assessing the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
When the aircraft’s doors opened in front of me over the Pacific Ocean for the first time, my heart jumped into my throat. Not because I was looking 400m straight down to the wild sea below as it passed at 260km per hour, but because of what I saw.
This was one of the most remote regions of the Pacific Ocean, and the amount of floating plastic nets, ropes, containers and who-knows-what below was mind-boggling.
However, it wasn’t just debris down there. For the first time, we found proof of whales and dolphins in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which means it’s highly likely they are eating or getting tangled in the huge amount of plastic in the area.
A passive garbage collector floating through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. EPA/THE OCEAN CLEANUP HANDOUT
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is said to be the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world. It is located between Hawaii and California, where huge ocean currents meet to form the North Pacific subtropical gyre. An estimated 80,000 tonnes of plastic are floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Our overall project was overseen and led by The Ocean Cleanup’s founder Boyan Slat and then-chief scientist Julia Reisser. We conducted two visual survey flights, each taking an entire day to travel from San Francisco’s Moffett Airfield, survey for around two hours, and travel home. Along with our visual observations, the aircraft was fitted with a range of sensors, including a short-wave infrared imager, a Lidar system (which uses the pulse from lasers to map objects on land or at sea), and a high-resolution camera.
Both visual and technical surveys found whales and dolphins, including sperm and beaked whales and their young calves. This is the first direct evidence of whales and dolphins in the heart of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Mating green turtles in a sea of plastics. photo by Chandra P. Salgado Kent, Author provided
Plastics in the ocean are a growing problem for marine life. Many species can mistake plastics for food, consume them accidentally along with their prey or simply eat fish that have themselves eaten plastic.
Both beaked and sperm whales have been recently found with heavy plastic loads in their stomachs. In the Philippines, a dying beaked whale was found with 40kg of plastic in its stomach, and in Indonesia, a dead sperm whale washed ashore with 115 drinking cups, 25 plastic bags, plastic bottles, two flip-flops, and more than 1,000 pieces of string in its stomach.
The danger of ghost nets
The most common debris we were able to identify by eye was discarded or lost fishing nets, often called “ghost nets”. Ghost nets can drift in the ocean for years, trapping animals and causing injuries, starvation and death.
Crew sorts plastic debris collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch on a voyage in July 2019. EPA/THE OCEAN CLEANUP
Whales and dolphins are often found snared in debris. Earlier this year, a young sperm whale almost died after spending three years tangled in a rope from a fishing net.
During our observation we saw young calves with their mothers. Calves are especially vulnerable to becoming trapped. With the wide range of ocean plastics in the garbage patch, it is highly likely animals in the area ingest and become tangled in it.
It’s believed the amount of plastics in the ocean could triple over the next decade. It is clear the problem of plastic pollution has no political or geographic boundaries.
While plastics enter the sea from populated areas, global currents transport them across oceans. Plastics can kill animals, promote disease, and harm the environment, our food sources and people.
A jellyfish entangled in plastic rubbish and ropes in the North Pacific Ocean. AAP Image/The Algalita Marine Research Foundation
The most devastating effects fall on communities in poverty. New research shows the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly growing, posing a greater threat to wildlife. It reinforces the global movement to reduce, recycle and remove plastics from the environment.
But to really tackle this problem we need creative solutions at every level of society, from communities to industries to governments and international organisations.
To take one possibility, what if we invested in fast-growing, sustainably cultivated bamboo to replace millions of single-use plastics? It could be produced by the very countries most affected by this crisis: poorer and developing nations.
It is only one of many opportunities to dramatically reduce plastic waste, improve the health of our environments and people, and to help communities most susceptible to plastic pollution.
Susan E. GibbsChandra P. Salgado KentBoyan SlatDamien MoralesLeila FoudaJulia Reisser. Cetacean sightings within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Mar Biodiv (2019) 49: 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-019-00952-0
This Article was originally published in The Conversation - republished under a Creative Commons Licence.
Citizen Scientists Butterfly Project
October 26, 2019: Threatened Species Commissioner ·
This week, a new citizen science initiative took flight (pun intended).
Butterflies Australia allows amateur butterfly-watchers to record and upload sightings across Australia. The project aims to track and conserve the insects by creating a database of sightings.
One of the biggest problems facing butterflies is a lack of scientific data. On the Atlas of Living Australia, there are currently less than 250,000 records for butterflies, compared to 40 million for birds. The information gathered will give scientists crucial information that will help at-risk species.
There are about 440 butterfly species in Australia – but there could be more! Researchers are optimistic that the app will help identify new species.
If you’re out in nature this weekend, I recommend downloading the app and get spotting. Butterflies are a great species to target, as they’re active during the day, and often large and beautifully coloured. The app also includes a nifty field guide to help identify species – so you can learn more about the butterflies you find.
To find out more and download the app, head over to https://www.butterflies.org.au/external/home
Photo: Tailed Emperor - by Chris Sanderson.
Halloween 2019
We hope you all had a fun Halloween - here's one great costume worn well, and a great mum, out and about on Thursday just gone. Photo by and courtesy Joanne Seve. Thanks Joanne!
Which Work Experience Type Are You?
November 1st, 2019: NSW Dept. of Education
Students launch start-up to find companies their perfect work experience match.
Two Year 12 students at Chatswood High School have launched an innovative online business to take the guesswork out of Year 10 work experience.
Hannah Ahn and Bagavathy Menon were left feeling disappointed with their work experience and created Yakka after forging plans for an original organisation with a mission to become Australia’s number one work experience provider.
Yakka works by attracting businesses looking to secure work experience students to the platform. These organisations outline their ideal work experience candidate and how the company intends to structure the work experience week.
The most suitable student is then selected from a pool of applicants, making it easier for students to find the type of placement they are after and companies to find their perfect work experience match.
Bagavathy and Hannah started their entrepreneurial journey in July 2018 in the Generation Entrepreneur’s iEntrepreneur incubator program where they received mentorship, funding and lessons in how to run a business. Since then, they have partnered with nine organisations to provide 14 work experience opportunities to high school students and have pitched their ideas to more than 300 people.
Bagavathy, co-founder of Yakka, said she was inspired to embark on the project by the school’s curriculum.
“I’m a social science nerd and love to study economics, business studies and legal studies. Consequently, I am fully engaged in the business sphere and am able to draw from my understanding of legal frameworks to contribute to Yakka’s ongoing success,” she said.
For Hannah, developing skills through volunteering and freelance design work equipped her with the tools necessary to conceptualise this innovative business model.
“The valuable experience gained through my extracurricular commitments has allowed me to progress Yakka as a unique start-up through awareness of wire-framing, brand design and program development,” she said.
David Osland, Principal of Chatswood High School, said Hannah and Bagavathy have engaged in a range of entrepreneurial activities over the past two years and have been amazing representatives for the school.
“Students at Chatswood High School begin their journey towards being young entrepreneurs through classes in the junior school where they learn design thinking, critical and creative thinking, team work and communication skills,” Mr Osland said.
“The social science faculty is also involved in a project-based learning initiative in Year 8, Australian Business Week activities in Year 10 and the $20 Boss School Program.
“This grounding is supported by our partnership with Generation Entrepreneur and opportunities such as Bagavathy’s UBS scholarship which allows students to gain industry experience while still at school.”
Bagavathy Menon, left, and Hannah Ahn with principal David Osland.
Long days, heavy loads: what the best boy does on a film set
Recalling his early days in television as a “best boy” on The Sullivans (1976-1983), Adelaide-based Richard Rees-Jones remembers a time when lighting departments were teams of just two. At Crawford Productions, two gaffer/best boy teams would work either in the studio, shooting videotape, or on location, shooting film.
Rees-Jones, now a sought-after gaffer of vast experience (Snowtown in 2011, Hotel Mumbai in 2018) whose son has grown up in the family business, explains the origins of the term:
The gaffer got his name from the long, hooked pole he carried, like a fisherman’s gaff. Early on, in the theatre, they used gaffs to adjust lights suspended from rigs above the stage.
Continuing the seafaring theme, Rees-Jones describes the best boy as “like the gaffer’s first mate”.
Agile And Quick
When a gaffer needed help, Rees-Jones explains, he might say “send me your best boy”. Such a boy would need to be strong, agile, and quick; unafraid of heights, and accustomed to heavy work. He would have to work in cramped conditions with dangerous equipment, control crude lanterns, and be immediately responsive to instruction.
The role and its responsibilities grew with the advent of film, alongside fast developing technology. While not necessarily electricians, best boys require a detailed working knowledge of electricity, calling in qualified electricians as required. The skill set may extend further, to colour theory, the use of natural light, and divining the movement of clouds.
By the time I, as a young actor, understood the role, best boys were multi-skilled, and indispensable. They drove heavy vehicles, carried 30 kilogram coils of cables without effort, and led other men in muscling into place lamps weighing twice as much. They could supervise or run generator trucks, and trim fiercely burning arc lamps that turned night into day. They murmured quietly into radios in a sovereign language that spoke of “brute-arcs”, “HMIs” and “Molebeams”.
At the end of a 12-hour day, they could pack four tonnes of equipment into trucks in 30 minutes. Such men were often rewarded with slabs of beer - wrap drinks - before their long drive to motel beds bereft of springs, the alarm before dawn, and the chance to do it all again.
Best Men, Sometimes Women
While many go on to become gaffers or key grips, best boys can forge long careers in film and television.
Alan Dunstan’s career began on Storm Boy (1976) as an electrician. He was still working as a best boy on The Matrix Trilogy (1999-2003). From Melbourne, Peter Moloney’s career spanned The Getting of Wisdom (1977), Muriel’s Wedding (1997), and The Secret Life of Us (2001). Sydney-based Grant Wilson’s credits reveal a start as technician on the miniatures unit of Moulin Rouge (2001); last year he was best boy on Ladies in Black (2018).
Best boys work in environments with clear hierarchies. This does not preclude women. Some sources refer to best girls but the term “best boy” may be used for both genders on set. Some women enter film via concert lighting. More recent and specialised technical roles may see more women in electrics; currently they are better represented in camera and other departments.
Not Just Muscle
On big budget films especially, large lighting crews require efficient management. When the gaffer appoints a best boy, it might not be because he is the most expert in a particular skill, but because he is an effective manager.
The management function may even be divided, and two best boys appointed. The term best boy grip is also frequently used but relates another department.
Best boys are alert to the balance of personalities, to the challenges of life on the road, and the physical demands of taxing work. Almost invisibly to other film crew, members of a lighting department might be spelled for an hour, given lighter duties, as the best boy ensures that the heavy lifting is shared.
A Sweaty Ballet
There is a point in the filmmaking process when the best boy’s role and personal qualities are most easily observed. Rehearsing film and television is a brief and structured process. Quiet is called. After an initial “line-run” between actors, a “block-through” determines their movement within the set or location.
Camera angles are discussed, agreed, and announced, whereupon the first assistant director declares “a lighting set”. At this point, actors are invited to relax (code for “get off the set, you’re in the way”). Now, the best boy marshals the lighting build, work that must be done quickly, but which cannot be rushed. It is a period of high activity, of the movement of unwieldy objects in confined spaces. It has often seemed to me vaguely balletic, if sweat, balance and lifts are measures.
The lighting set offers a brief window on film’s intersection between manufacturing and art, for with the best boy’s cry of “coming up!” switches are thrown, lights glow, and that window suddenly warms like Vermeer’s, or Hopper’s, or those of our childhood.
With LED lighting replacing older style lamps, film sets are much cooler places than they once were. But best boys have always been cool.
In my experience, the commonly recited answer to the question “why are you called the best boy?” has always been the same. With studied nonchalance, shrugging under the weight of something preposterously heavy, the best boy grins.
“Because I’m very, very good.”
And so he is.
Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Lecturer, University of New England
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Who Owns The Content On Social Media?
October 28, 2019; by Emi Berry, UNSW
Know your rights and stay on top of evolving terms of service when using social media, says Professor Kathy Bowrey from UNSW Law.
‘What’s on your mind?’ asks Facebook. You upload a photo of yourself posing on a secluded beach in the Greek Islands and enter the caption, ‘Just another day in paradise’. You hit ‘post’. Voila! Your content is now available for all your friends and family to see. Depending on your privacy settings, your content may also be available to strangers and people who aren’t even on Facebook.
Did you know that while technically you retain ownership of that content, you have also allowed Facebook to store, copy and share it with others, such as service providers? In other words, you have now lost exclusive control over the use of that content.
Facebook isn’t the only social media platform to implement these kinds of conditions. Professor Bowrey says other popular social media networks have very similar terms of service that you agree to when you sign up.
“When people upload their images online, their use is regulated by the social media’s contract terms. This includes giving Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tinder the right to use, reuse and sublicense use of the images. The platform also collects images and data for their own marketing purposes, like promoting sponsored advertising," says Professor Bowrey.
Similarly, YouTube’s terms of service state that you retain all of your ownership rights to your content. However, by submitting it, you grant the platform a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable and transferable licence. They can use it, reproduce it, distribute it, prepare derivative works of it, display it, publish it, adapt it, and make your content available online or electronically transmit it in any media format and through any media channel.
“Platforms also encourage other users to share and reshare images online. This includes sharing images you post that you might own copyright to and ones that you don’t own the rights to. The platform might also share the images to third parties who use them. For example, Tinder’s terms of service require you to consent to them accessing and using whatever you post on Facebook,” explains Professor Bowrey.
Professor Bowrey says professional network platform LinkedIn is a bit more limited in what it does without your consent, possibly because it seeks to target a professional audience.
“But the general terms are all about allowing for unimpeded circulation of what you post, not limiting what kind of audience there is for it,” says Professor Bowrey.
Once you’ve shared content, there’s no taking it back
Does deleting your content remove the social media platform’s right to continue to use it? Unfortunately, no. Deleting the content won’t remove the platform’s right to continue using it, particularly if it has been shared with others, and they haven’t deleted it. There is no taking it back once you’ve shared it.
“The licence terms aren’t able to be revoked, and once you agree to them you can’t stop the ongoing circulation and reuse of the content by others, even after you delete your own account. This means that an intimate photo shared with or without your permission, or a party photo you don’t want an employer to see, can be difficult to call back. Copyright law won’t help you here, because the platform’s terms of service is designed to make it hard to blame them for what users do online. They try to make the party who posts the content responsible, while the images continue to have an online life of their own,” explains Professor Bowrey.
The professor says the commercial logic behind social media platforms’ terms of service is also very interesting, as it’s not just about selling data to third parties but changing what is commodified and how we experience culture.
“This kind of licence is what makes things like a life as a social influencer possible. You might start out with a hobby, posting your outfit of the day, and as a result of your personality and cuteness, turn a blog into a full-time business if you can keep up a following and be on trend.”
New challenges for social media platforms
“Culture today is not really just about selling things – books, art, music, film – but about selling lifestyles and identities that are fabrications for online consumption. AI-generated social influencers and deepfakes are a natural progression of this dynamic,” says Professor Bowrey.
Deepfake is AI-based technology that allows individuals to produce or alter content such as video or audio, generating realistic visual or audio that never actually took place. The ability to distort reality isn’t a new concept, particularly with social media platforms attempting to weed out ‘fake news’. However, as machine learning techniques improve, it will potentially become harder for social media algorithms to detect the more realistic and convincing deepfakes.
Professor Bowrey says social media platforms grow by feeding curiosity and regularly rewarding bad behaviour, with common courtesy taking a back seat.
“As a mental health initiative and addressing concerns about a lack of authenticity and competitiveness in online culture, some platforms are experimenting with removing ‘likes’ to see what happens. Of course, the platform will still have its own data about who is sharing what, but it won’t be so visible to users. It’s also a way of reinventing interest in the platforms as their audiences age and there is more competition from other apps.”
Australian Pollinator Week 10-17 November
By: Fiona Chambers, CEO, Wheen Bee Foundation
Calling all Citizen Scientists. We need your help!
The anecdotal ‘Windscreen Test’, how often you need to clear bugs from your car’s windscreen when travelling, suggests we are experiencing declines in insect numbers in Australia. But we simply don’t have data to quantify changing insect numbers, and that is why we need your help!
Two recently published long term studies over 3-4 decades from Germany and Puerto Rico recorded drastic reductions in insect biomass within protected areas over 75%. These results featured in a January 2019 Foresight Brief by UN Environment- 011 Early Warning, Emerging Issues and Futures. The German study was also featured an Australian edition of ABC Foreign Correspondent – Insectaggedon, on 15 October 2019.
Insects are one of the pillars of our ecosystems, providing essential ecosystem services through pollination, nutrient cycling and in the food chains of birds and other insectivores.
Australia has around 2,000 native bee species that are important pollinators. There are also a couple of thousand species of butterfly, wasp, fly moth, beetle, thrip and ant species, some of which are documented pollinators. With so little information available about many insects in Australia, citizen science project ‘Wild Pollinator Count’ was established by researchers. The project helps gather information on the ecology of insects by recording what flowers are visited by potential pollinators and where they are found.
‘Pollinator insects are great for inquiry-based learning’ says Karen Retra, native bee naturalist and co-founder of the Wild Pollinator Count. ‘It encourages participants to become familiar with the diversity of insects and their roles. By comparing results on different plants and in different locations, we’re seeking to better understand which flowers are visited by which insects, which flowers host particular types of insects and which plants have the broadest range of insect types’.
The information collected helps inform how we can improve our environment by planting to support a greater abundance and diversity of wild pollinators.
The next Wild Pollinator Count coincides with Australian Pollinator Week 10-17 November. Click here for more information about the Wild Pollinator Count. For additional activities and event ideas to celebrate Australian Pollinator Week click here.
Credit: Wild Pollinator Count
Who Owns The Content On Social Media?
October 28, 2019; by Emi Berry, UNSW
Know your rights and stay on top of evolving terms of service when using social media, says Professor Kathy Bowrey from UNSW Law.
‘What’s on your mind?’ asks Facebook. You upload a photo of yourself posing on a secluded beach in the Greek Islands and enter the caption, ‘Just another day in paradise’. You hit ‘post’. Voila! Your content is now available for all your friends and family to see. Depending on your privacy settings, your content may also be available to strangers and people who aren’t even on Facebook.
Did you know that while technically you retain ownership of that content, you have also allowed Facebook to store, copy and share it with others, such as service providers? In other words, you have now lost exclusive control over the use of that content.
Facebook isn’t the only social media platform to implement these kinds of conditions. Professor Bowrey says other popular social media networks have very similar terms of service that you agree to when you sign up.
“When people upload their images online, their use is regulated by the social media’s contract terms. This includes giving Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tinder the right to use, reuse and sublicense use of the images. The platform also collects images and data for their own marketing purposes, like promoting sponsored advertising," says Professor Bowrey.
Similarly, YouTube’s terms of service state that you retain all of your ownership rights to your content. However, by submitting it, you grant the platform a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable and transferable licence. They can use it, reproduce it, distribute it, prepare derivative works of it, display it, publish it, adapt it, and make your content available online or electronically transmit it in any media format and through any media channel.
“Platforms also encourage other users to share and reshare images online. This includes sharing images you post that you might own copyright to and ones that you don’t own the rights to. The platform might also share the images to third parties who use them. For example, Tinder’s terms of service require you to consent to them accessing and using whatever you post on Facebook,” explains Professor Bowrey.
Professor Bowrey says professional network platform LinkedIn is a bit more limited in what it does without your consent, possibly because it seeks to target a professional audience.
“But the general terms are all about allowing for unimpeded circulation of what you post, not limiting what kind of audience there is for it,” says Professor Bowrey.
Once you’ve shared content, there’s no taking it back
Does deleting your content remove the social media platform’s right to continue to use it? Unfortunately, no. Deleting the content won’t remove the platform’s right to continue using it, particularly if it has been shared with others, and they haven’t deleted it. There is no taking it back once you’ve shared it.
“The licence terms aren’t able to be revoked, and once you agree to them you can’t stop the ongoing circulation and reuse of the content by others, even after you delete your own account. This means that an intimate photo shared with or without your permission, or a party photo you don’t want an employer to see, can be difficult to call back. Copyright law won’t help you here, because the platform’s terms of service is designed to make it hard to blame them for what users do online. They try to make the party who posts the content responsible, while the images continue to have an online life of their own,” explains Professor Bowrey.
The professor says the commercial logic behind social media platforms’ terms of service is also very interesting, as it’s not just about selling data to third parties but changing what is commodified and how we experience culture.
“This kind of licence is what makes things like a life as a social influencer possible. You might start out with a hobby, posting your outfit of the day, and as a result of your personality and cuteness, turn a blog into a full-time business if you can keep up a following and be on trend.”
New challenges for social media platforms
“Culture today is not really just about selling things – books, art, music, film – but about selling lifestyles and identities that are fabrications for online consumption. AI-generated social influencers and deepfakes are a natural progression of this dynamic,” says Professor Bowrey.
Deepfake is AI-based technology that allows individuals to produce or alter content such as video or audio, generating realistic visual or audio that never actually took place. The ability to distort reality isn’t a new concept, particularly with social media platforms attempting to weed out ‘fake news’. However, as machine learning techniques improve, it will potentially become harder for social media algorithms to detect the more realistic and convincing deepfakes.
Professor Bowrey says social media platforms grow by feeding curiosity and regularly rewarding bad behaviour, with common courtesy taking a back seat.
“As a mental health initiative and addressing concerns about a lack of authenticity and competitiveness in online culture, some platforms are experimenting with removing ‘likes’ to see what happens. Of course, the platform will still have its own data about who is sharing what, but it won’t be so visible to users. It’s also a way of reinventing interest in the platforms as their audiences age and there is more competition from other apps.”
