Name: When online shaming goes too far
Uploaded: 2015-07-20T14:59:45Z
Duration: 17 min 1 s
Description: Twitter gives a voice to the voiceless, a way to speak up and hit back at perceived injustice. But sometimes, says Jon Ronson, things go too far. In a jaw-dropping story of how one un-funny tweet ruined a woman's life and career, Ronson shows how online commenters can end up behaving like a baying mob -- and says it's time to rethink how we interact online.

Twitter gives a voice to the voiceless, a way to speak up and hit back at perceived injustice. But sometimes, says Jon Ronson, things go too far. In a jaw-dropping story of how one un-funny tweet ruined a woman's life and career, Ronson shows how online commenters can end up behaving like a baying mob -- and says it's time to rethink how we interact online.

When online shaming goes too far

The rise of social media once empowered marginalized voices, but public shaming has spiraled into a punishing spectacle. After a single tweet, one woman's life was dismantled while she slept, her name searched over a million times in a month and her reputation destroyed. What began as a tool for justice now often erases empathy, blurring lines between serious harm and simple mistakes. The fear of being publicly shamed now drives people to self-censor and retreat from open dialogue.