“I always perform with nipple tassels,” says Dr Caroline Are, pole dance instructor, activist and innovation fellow at Northumbria University. “Because if a nipple shows up, I can’t post it on social media.”
In her academic life at the university’s Centre for Digital Citizens, she researches the below-the-radar strategies social sites use to control content and the impact of being blocked or limited online.
She speaks from experience. As a performer, her pole-dancing videos have been ‘shadow banned’ (by Instagram) or outright blocked (by TikTok). Instagram apologised and now works with her – the platform has long been criticised for moderation policies which hide images without informing subjects. TikTok alleges her videos ‘imply’ nudity, which is banned by the largely youth platform – and her dance to celebrate her PhD was taken down. “But I’m clothed,” she says.
By contrast, the vicious trolling she’s received – “that I deserve to get raped, my morals...