Name: The price of shame
Uploaded: 2015-03-20T23:27:11Z
Duration: 22 min 16 s
Description: "Public shaming as a blood sport has to stop," says Monica Lewinsky. In 1998, she says, “I was Patient Zero of losing a personal reputation on a global scale almost instantaneously.” Today, the kind of online public shaming she went through has become constant -- and can turn deadly. In a brave talk, she takes a hard look at our online culture of humiliation, and asks for a different way.

Monica Lewinsky: The price of shame

The price of shame

"Public shaming as a blood sport has to stop," says Monica Lewinsky. In 1998, she says, “I was Patient Zero of losing a personal reputation on a global scale almost instantaneously.” Today, the kind of online public shaming she went through has become constant -- and can turn deadly. In a brave talk, she takes a hard look at our online culture of humiliation, and asks for a different way.

Internet-fueled public shaming can destroy lives in an instant, amplifying humiliation to a global scale. One person went from complete privacy to being mocked by millions overnight, with photos and private conversations plastered everywhere. Cyberbullying and online harassment have become widespread, and the emotional toll is devastating—an 87 percent surge in youth helpline calls was reported in just one year. True change demands turning away from cruelty and choosing empathy, both online and offline.