Public shaming is a fact of life on the internet - but does it have to be? Jon Ronson’s recent book on the subject shone a devastating light on what it really feels like to be torn apart on the web. And now someone else who knows more than a little about the topic is calling for an end to the ‘bloodsport’ — Monica Lewinsky.
About 17 years ago she became one of the most famous women in America for her affair with President Bill Clinton, and — as she puts it — “patient zero of losing a personal reputation”. At a TED talk in Vancouver this week, she called for an end to an industry of shame that she says is getting out of control.
She said: “I began to look at the world of humiliation and bullying around me and see something different … Every day online, people — especially young people who are not developmentally equipped to handle this — are so abused and humiliated that they can’t imagine living to the next day."
The response online has been very positive — check out the full talk above.