Olivia Cao / Edge columnist
Nowadays, the Internet is in a white-hot era, almost nobody can avoid interacting with it, many people on the Internet make inappropriate comments, and “internet judges” can also be seen everywhere. The book, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, touches on how being publicly shamed affects the person’s life.
So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, is a self-help book that was written in 2015 by British-American journalist Jon Ronson. In the book, Ronson reveals many “upright netizens” who publicly shamed and actively encouraged the violent treatment of others under the guise of internet anonymity.
The novel gives us examples of how people have been shamed. This shows how being publicly shamed negatively affects a victim. For instance, Lindsey Stone, who issued an apology after being publicly shamed for posting a picture of herself making an obscene gesture at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Facebook. She was fired by her employer and received numerous threats daily for multiple months. Stone lost her passion for life during that time, she was unable to return to her normal routine, which was extremely detrimental to her way of life. Justine Sacco, a public relations executive, tweeted a racist post before she left for Africa which sparked outrage. Mike Daisey, who spread misinformation on Twitter, was fired from his job, and was unable to live his life due to the swarms of people who would harass him on social media.
In this book, Ronson interviews psychologists, historians and victims to reflect on the prevalence of public shaming on the Internet and the social problem of casual attacks on others by Internet users. According to interviews with psychologists in Ronson’s book, most victims of online violence/harassment are not pitied and left on their own, with no one to help them return to normal life/get back on their feet.
Ronson uses the theme of “public shaming” to connect many victims’ stories through the means of a documentary. This shows that Ronson is not only interested in the victims’ stories, but also in the perspective of the shamers. By portraying the perspective of the shamers, he reflects that because internet users are anonymous, most of them are willing to say things online that they would never say to someone in person. This allows them to hurt others without feeling guilty and/or facing the consequences.
This book covers touches on many topics. As a result, some of the books content is not necessarily connected to the main message the book is trying to convey. While reading about what happened to the victims, one may feel sad out of empathy or when reflecting on the fact that they may have done the same thing in their lifetimes.
The message that Ronson wants to send in this book is to “be kind, don’t hurt.” People should know that even though you may believe that you are doing a good deed by correcting others, you may also be shaming and hurting them. Even on the Internet, it is important to be kind and to be aware of the fact that your actions have consequences.
This is a good book for those who enjoy psychology, history and the study of societal issues. Moreover, this book would be a good read for victims of cyberbullying and for those who have witnessed someone get hurt online as they would be able to relate to the story’s message.
Media:
“So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed (2015): Jon Ronson”