Importance of the Streisand Effect

When something is prohibited, repressed or punished, there is a risk of achieving the opposite effect. On many occasions, information censorship triggers a reaction of curiosity in the whole of the society. A good example of this is the Streisand Effect.

A phenomenon that owes its name to the actress Barbra Streisand

In 2003, an American journalist took thousands of images of the California coast with the intention of collecting information on environmental effects. Among the photographs that were released appeared some of the mansion of the American actress. Considering that her privacy was being invaded, the actress filed a million-dollar lawsuit against the journalist and a judge made the decision to close the website where the images appeared.

Following this decision, the images that could not be removed received thousands of views. Barbara pretended to preserve her privacy, but in reality she achieved the opposite. This reminds us that many prohibitions eventually become temptations.

throughout the history there have been many episodes in which the prohibition of something has become a temptation. In this sense, many people interpret that if something is prohibited it is because it has a special interest.

Although the Streisand Effect is closely related to Internet and with the possibility of censoring certain content, basically it is a simpler matter, the attraction to what is prohibited.

Do not do it

According to the biblical account, God ordered Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of paradise. His disobedience had fatal consequences, but this episode reminds us that the human being finds it very exciting to break the rules and do what is not allowed.

Thus, the list of things we do and should not do is endless: we eat sweets when we are on a diet, we take drugs knowing the risks we assume, we are attracted to sexual prohibitions, etc

According to some psychologists, we enjoy getting into the "dark side" of life. In this way, we experience an exhilarating fear of those things that are taboo.

The reaction of citizens against censorship

In democratic countries the freedom information is considered a fundamental pillar. In this way, when a judge prevents the dissemination of information, it is very likely that his decision produces the opposite effect.

Many of the books that have been banned have eventually become cultural icons or best sellers.

Image 1. web, 2. Fotolia juandramirez