Most Humber College students not exchanging nude photos

Sep 22, 2014 | Biz/Tech

By Jordan Burton and Abdikarim Hashi

The majority of Humber College students have not sent or asked for nude photos, according to an informal survey created by Humber News.

Fifty students (29 women and 21 men) from around the college completed an anonymous and confidential survey by filling out a dozen questions regarding online security and their personal experiences with nude photos.

According to the data, 66 per cent of students have not sent nude photos, and 60 per cent of students have not asked others for nude photos.

As for why the remaining students are exchanging these photos, Toronto sexologist Dr. Jessica O’Reilly said sexting can help overcome distance in communication and relationships.

“It can be exciting to be admired from afar,” said Toronto sexologist Dr. Jessica O’Reilly in an email exchange.

Privacy has been an issue of late, as a hack into Apple’s online storage service, iCloud, resulted in the release of at least a dozen celebrities’ nude photos online.

It’s for this reason that O’Reilly recommends discretion when sending racy pictures.

“Don’t ever send a photo of your face,” said O’Reilly. “It doesn’t matter if you trust your partner. What if his or her phone gets lost? Do you trust random strangers?”

The latest photo leak incident has the public calling the security of these services into question. And the students at Humber are no exception, as 82 per cent of surveyors say they do not feel their online data is safe.

With social media more popular than ever, our communication landscape is quickly changing. This includes the rate that people expect to receive information, and this doesn’t exclude sexting habits.

“The rules of communication, dating and relationships have all changed,” said O’Reilly. “People expect instant responses and instant gratification.”

But is sending nude photos vital to gratification? O’Reilly said no.

“Of course not,” she said. “It can be hot, but it’s not necessary.”