There’s a marginally popular hashtag on Instagram called #sunburnart. People add it to photos where they’ve caught the sun and been left with an interesting pattern of burnt and unburnt skin.
But Time, Business Insider, People and a number of TV stations, including ABC News, have picked up on the ‘trend’, implying that a substantial number of users are deliberately burning themselves to create art.
Time even admitted that “a few photos – but perhaps not enough to qualify as a trend – tagged #sunburnart have popped upon social media,” yet still decided to contact dermatologists (all of whom say they’ve not witnessed real life examples) to discuss “the dangers.”
The more popular #tantattoo hashtag does throw up thousands of images as Business Insider notes, but while some feature deliberate attempts to get particular burn patterns, most are about accidents.
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Another hashtag flagged up by the site – #suntattoo – actually features many more images of literal sun tattoos rather than shapes caused by the big burning orb in the sky.
This is a classic example of reporters lazily ignoring the context of social media posts in pursuit of a scary narrative. It would be worrying if huge numbers of people were deliberately getting burned to join in with a hashtag trend, but they’re simply not.
Surely professional writers should understand sarcasm and irony – that’s how Instagram users are predominantly using these hashtags.
And if you’re really concerned about a dumb fashion statement turning into a trend, you don’t write articles that say it already is one.
Image credit: Annniif on Instagram
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