This is just one of the 'jokey' memes created about it
For those who aren't familiar with the term, it is a mixture of 'the happening' - quite simply, what's going on - and the slang term 'fapping,' meaning masturbation. The portmanteau 'The Fappening' seems to have first been used in the title of the subreddit when it was created yesterday. Already it has more than 100,000 'Fappeners'.
Its popularity has now led to the entire hacking scandal, where more than 100 A-listers are alleged to have been targeted, to become widely referred to as 'The Fappening.' The phrase is trending on Google, it's being used by well-known websites, and it even has its own hashtag: #fappening2014. Why are we reducing this hacking to a hashtag?
I shouldn't really be surprised. We've been attaching catchy monikers to serious situations ever since Watergate. Since then we've had countless others - including more recently and closer to home - Plebgate, where we all forgot about the fact that police officers were being accused of lying and just focused on 'the drama'. On a lighter note in the last week we've had 'The Bincident' in the Great British Bake Off, and earlier this year, a global campaign to raise money for charity was summed up with the hashtag #NoMakeUpSelfie.
It's become second nature for us to not just describe a situation in 140 characters, but to reduce it to a hashtag. That's exactly what's happening here with 'The Fappening', but unlike #NoMakeUpSelfie or #EverydaySexism, it's not really doing anything positive. Instead, it's reminding us of the dirty reality of people sexually objectifying Lawrence et al without their consent, let alone their knowledge.
#Fappening2014 isn't even raising awareness about the true impact that hacking can have - it's just providing a way for people to easily make stupid jokes, derogatory comments and shame the women involved.
Jennifer Lawrence has been hacked The humble hashtag
Dr Claire Hardaker, a language expert at Lancaster University, tells me this is a common downside of the hashtag. 'It makes it really easy to go and find lots of like-minded people talking about the topic,' she says. 'It can work like a little flash mob. It's so much easier to do something that's a bit unpleasant and morally grey if there's a lot of other people doing it. You think, I'm not the only doing it.'
But, it isn't just internet trolls and misogynists who are using the phrase. Many more sympathetic individuals are using the hashtag whilst making positive statements. I can only assume that they're unaware of #fappening2014's origins, and how each time they use it, they're condensing a violation of privacy down to a distasteful little hashtag.
Ultimately, this is the problem with 'The Fappening' - it makes light of a very severe situation. Dr Hardaker tells me: 'When you turn it into something that's a portmanteau, a linguistic comedy, it's a bit of a joke. It kind of diminishes the seriousness of having pictures of you completely naked traded around the internet and used in that way. I think there's an issue with making it sound so light-hearted.' Don't forget these are just young women
She's right. What has happened to Lawrence, Kate Upton, Jessica Brown Findlay and all these other female celebrities is very potentially damaging.
And that's exactly who they are - young women. When you put aside their celebrity status, you remember that Lawrence is just 24-years-old - my current age. So is Brown Findlay, the latest apparent victim, who seems to have just had a sex tape leaked online by the hackers.
The Downton Abbey actress appears to be another victim
I can think of little worse than having to deal with naked photos and videos of me being plastered all over the internet, let alone simultaneously having to cope with the intense scrutiny of the public eye.
What Lawrence and the others are going through is huge. It's probably one of the hardest things they've ever had to deal with. So, why are we reducing it to a dirty hashtag that will no doubt just serve to remind these young women about what pervy creeps are doing to their pictures?
Dr Hardaker thinks it's because they're celebrities. 'With them being celebrities it's very hard to relate to them as a normal human being,' she says. 'With a non-celebrity, people think 'it could be me' and would be more likely to feel outraged about it. Rather it being something titillating and amusing, there would be a real sense of outrage.' It's not a joke - it's a crime
You only have to look at coverage of stories about revenge porn victimsto see the difference. Even the phrase 'revenge porn' sums up the crime in a non-sensational way. It's factual and has no hidden meanings, similar to other terms like 'phone hacking' which aptly described another previous scandal. They're quite unlike 'The Fappening' with it's clear sexual connotations, making out women to be objects, rather than victims.
And this is what it all comes down to. These women took their photos in private (or their partner took them for them), and they were stolen. The actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead has spoken up about how she snapped the images leaked of her with her husband in the privacy of their home. The fact they have now been hacked isn't just 'creepy', it's a crime.
The FBI has now launched an investigation into the hacking, and Lawrence's spokesperson has said they will prosecute anyone who shares the images. The gravity of what has happened to these women is undeniable.
While #Fappening2014 may sadly be an accurate summation of how some people will be reacting to this hacking (for peeping toms - the internet is a goldmine after all), that doesn't mean it's something we need to raise every time we discuss this crime. It also isn't something that these young, female victims need to hear or read either. So for their sakes', if nothing else, let's just stop calling this widespread violation of privacy 'The Fappening'.
Post By http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11069829/Jennifer-Lawrence-photo-leak-Lets-stop-calling-this-hacking-The-Fappening.html
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