Patrick J Adams and the Photograph
Patrick J. Adams is a Canadian actor known for his role on Suits as Mike Ross. On the show Suits, he worked alongside Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex (prior to her becoming Duchess). He, along with his wife Troian Bellisario were guests at her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. He encounters a woman at the airport after the wedding, looking at images from the wedding. A photograph with him and his wife was one of the featured images, and his interaction with the woman resulted in her calling him chunky in that image. This did not sit well with him, and he took a photograph of her sleeping, posted it online, opening up a platform for his followers to help him body-shame her on his public Instagram account. Body shaming is a hurtful, embarrassing, rude action no matter who is the victim and who is the initiator. He did it for revenge for the way she made him feel and dropped to her level. However, when some of his followers called him a bully, he took down the original photo and replaced it with an apology. His mistake on social media caused him to reevaluate his choices and whether he should have done it or not.
The original post:
Bowen’s 15 steps in ethical guidelines outline proper ways to consider social media posts.
Step One: Be Fair and Prudent
Consider how fair the post would be. Consider the amount of justice the post would create and whether or not the audience has a right to know (Bowen, p. 126, 2013).
Ultimately, Patrick failed at being fair with his post. It raises the question; Do two wrongs make a right? The answer — no. For him, it may have appeared fair when he published the post. The woman body-shamed him, so why not do it back? However, the answer will always be no. He should not have gone to her level. He may have felt like he got justice by creating the post, but his actions demonstrated he was not any better than her.
Step Two: Avoid Deception
With this step, make the decision on whether the post hides the truth, or promotes an idea that is false or to make an idea become known knowing the harm it will cause (Bowen, p.126, 2013).
Patrick failed to avoid deception. His post created the idea that it was okay to body shame someone and to take photographs of someone while they are sleeping; regardless of it occurring in a public setting.
Step Three: Maintain dignity and respect
Make sure that all parties involved are respected within the post (Bowen, p. 126, 2013).
He failed to show respect and dignity. He posted a photograph of her sleeping in an unflattering position that he knew would cause media attention.
- One — She can’t control the way she falls asleep and the position her body is in while asleep.
- Two — It was posted without her consent regardless of naming her or not in his post.
- Three — Currently in 2020, he has 2.5m followers. He is an actor. He attended the royal wedding. There are lots of people viewing this post. The comments section is horrible and allows for the bullying to continue.
Step Four: Eschew secrecy
Individuals need to stop and consider if the post requires secrecy (Bowen, p. 126, 2013).
He failed because he is invading privacy. He was not releasing secrets, and she was sleeping in public, but he still posted a photo of a private moment without permission.
Step Five: Is it reversible?
Can the post be reversed after it is published? Consider the way the person on the receiving end of the post would feel about it, and think about the way you would feel if you were in their position (Bowen, p.126, 2013).
Photos stay on the internet. It can take one action of “save image” or one screenshot and the post lives on regardless of the original being deleted. Although Patrick made the decision to delete it once he observed the opinions of his followers, the post was already saved and circulating. News outlets still caught the photo before it was deleted. The photo can still be found on a simple Google search.
Step Six: Be transparent
In any post made, clearly identify if it is a paid endorsement in order for audiences to know the intentions behind the post (Bowen, p. 126, 2013).
This did not apply to this social media post.
Step Seven: Clearly identify
Let the audience know if the post is a representation of your personal opinion, or if it is being made as a representative of an organization (Bowen, p.126, 2013).
This post represented personal speech. A public relations officer would not make or authorize that post. It creates a negative image for Patrick.
Step Eight: Rational analysis
Think hard about the message prior to publishing it. Consider the way it may look to the public and if it can be misconstrued in another light (Bowen, p.126, 2013).
This social media post can not be misconstrued. He intentionally posted it to make her look bad. In his apology message, he stated some of the criticisms made by his followers being a motivator to apologize.
Step Nine: Emphasize clarity
Ensure that the audience knows the organization or sponsorship the message is representing (Bowen, p.126, 2013).
There was not any source or sponsorship associated with this post.
Step Ten: Disclose
In the post, make sure that all information is given in order for viewers to understand the entire post (Bowen, p.126, 2013).
The transparency in his message is clear. His original post states what occurred and what he did in response.
Step Eleven: Verify sources and data
The post should represent factual information and not be based on rumors or speculation (Bowen, p.126, 2013).
This does not apply.
Step Twelve: Establish responsibility
Make sure the message represents the right choice being made (Bowen, p. 126, 2013).
Patrick initially fails to make sure he did the right thing. He went down to her level of body shaming with the image. However, he gains back some responsibility when he apologizes and admits his mistakes.
Step Thirteen: Examine intention
When making a post on social media, consider the reasons why the post is being made. Ensure the post is being made with good intentions in mind (Bowen, p.126, 2013).
The initial post was made to hurt the woman in response to the way she treated him. The apology afterward was to inform them that he made a mistake and the actions he should have done instead of bullying.
Step Fourteen: Encourage the good
The social media post should encourage good behaviors and scenarios such as a sense of community, and the ability to engage positively with others (Bowen, p. 126, 2013).
He did not do this. The post was made for revenge in response to comments that hurt him. By allowing the comments section to remain on in his post, he was allowing people to bully her.
Step Fifteen: Consistency builds trust
Consider the other posts on the social media account and think about if the post is a representation of the previous posts made (Bowen, p.126, 2013).
This post does not follow his usual posts. His apology post admits his mistake and the kind of person he is.
Apology Post:
“Yesterday I posted a photo of a woman who did some casual body shaming of my wife and I in the airport. My intention was solely to put a face to the people who think that sort of glancing commentary is necessary, helpful or funny. Some of the comments on the post instead said I was being a bully and should have taken the “high road” (some also doubled down on the body shaming. Thumbs up guys!) I thought it over and agreed and took it down, not because I felt the woman was right or fair or undeserving of being called out but because any sense of being a bully or lashing out felt wrong. Now a number of familiar outlets with a lot of extra time on their hands are asking for comment and getting ready to publish the post in their hard hitting newspapers, magazines and blogs. So I’ll comment here. I’m no bully. What that woman said to us was offensive and unnecessary but I should have told her she was rude and out of line and left it at that. I’m sorry I didn’t. I was too shocked and annoyed and Canadian — so I avoided the confrontation. Again, I’m sorry. Now if you see the original post on any media outlet just know that they are choosing to take a relatively small indiscretion and make it worse. Not for me. Because I promise you once I hit post on this message it will be out of my mind forever. But it will make whatever bullying or embarrassment I might have caused for that woman far worse for a far wider audience. Now -this has obviously taken up far too much of our time and of the precious internet space that we need so much. Sorry about that. But let’s just finish with a quick summary. 1. Don’t talk shit about the way people look. You have no idea what’s going on with them and your commentary will always make their day worse not better. 2. If someone does. Don’t use the internet to settle scores. Tell them right to their face and in public that they’re part of the problem and not the solution. 3. Believe pretty much nothing you read in magazines. Good or bad. The machinery runs on misfortune and oversimplification. 4. Be cool to yourself and others at every opportunity. Life is too short for all of this. Thx for reading. Now back to our lives…” (@halfadams, 2018).
“Because I promise you once I hit post on this message it will be out of my mind forever. But it will make whatever bullying or embarrassment I might have caused for that woman far worse for a far wider audience.”
This statement is absolutely true. He made the mistake of posting the photo and now the photo is able to be found regardless of Patrick deleting it. He is going to forget about it, while if the woman ever sees the photo, will see the countless amounts of comments underneath it about her. He was right that the internet was not the best place to deal with the situation. The situation occurred face-to-face and should have been resolved that way.
Overall, the lesson is to be careful about what social media is used for. Pay attention to the content that is being posted. Bully, body shaming, name-calling, etc. create hurt for the individual the post is geared at. The comments section on social media platforms can be an extremely negative, toxic environment that adds to the harmful nature of the post. Everyone makes mistakes, and I think it is great if individuals realize the mistake and can apologize for it.
References:
Bowen, S. (2013). Using classic social media cases to distill ethical guidelines for digital engagement. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 28, 119–133.
Dosani, R. (2018). Suits’ Patrick J Adams defends himself over body-shaming claims after royal wedding photos: ‘I am not a bully”. Retrieved 4 October, 2020. From https://metro.co.uk/2018/05/21/suits-patrick-j-adams-defends-body-shaming-claims-royal-wedding-photos-not-bully-7566257/
McLoughlin, L. & Sotoodeh, S. (2018). Suits star Patrick J Adams SHAMES woman who criticised his appearance at the Royal Wedding by sharing unflattering snap of her sleeping. Retrieved 4 October, 2020. From https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-5752705/Suits-star-Patrick-J-Adams-hits-woman-fat-shamed-appearance-Royal-Wedding.html
Pedestrian TV. (2018). ‘Suits’ Star Patrick J. Adams Apologises For Publicly Shaming Woman In Airport. Retrieved 4 October, 2020. From https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/patrick-adams-apology-public-shaming-photo/
