Public shaming has been a part of American history since the early 1800s. It's no wonder why people have become so familiar with the idea of shaming publicly shame others for their wrong actions. In today's era, humiliation has advanced with social media and new technologies. Not only do they have to be humiliated for a short period of time like the old days, but now they have to live with lifelong shame because of the Internet. So You've Been Publicly Shamed is a book written by Jon Ronson that discusses how public shaming is on the rise in the Internet age. Ronson is a Welsh commentator who writes about popular culture, especially how it intersects with the Internet in today's world. He has been described as a gonzo journalist, becoming a character in his stories, and has published nine books, his latest book published in 2015 being So You've Been Publicly Shamed. Shame is a well-established method of social control that has taken on a new role in life with the emergence of the Internet and social media. An academic definition of shaming is “making (someone) feel ashamed or inadequate by surpassing or surpassing him.” Public shaming has been around for decades, but technology has taken the idea of public shaming to a whole new and scary level. The scope, techniques, and consequences of social shaming are wide-ranging and therefore not all minor crimes should involve public humiliation. In his book, Ronson argues that every social media user rises up to criticize, shame, and remove a seemingly deserving victim and also argues that shaming is not just bad for the shamed, but also for the shamed. We are going through what Ronson calls “a great renaissance of public shaming.” Social media and new technologies have also grown more than ever and I think we need to put an end to online shaming and put an end to it so that people's lives are not destroyed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay You may not be part of the group of ordinary people, but it takes a person with strong principles to say that someone has not been involved in the online humiliation of someone else at some point. In a world where anyone can be targeted for inserting the wrong emoji, many have become overly cautious, not about being trolled by someone random who posts offensive comments, but about being publicly shamed. New York public relations director Justine Sacco tweeted a sarcastic quip on Twitter saying, "Going to Africa." I hope I don't get AIDS. I was just joking. I am white!' before boarding the plane. By the time the plane landed, he was a hate figure online. Twitter's mob mentality has the power to turn us all into cruel human beings. Another great example is Adele who when she beat out Beyoncé for the Album of the Year award at this year's Grammys, spent much of her speech explaining why she didn't deserve the award. Could she already imagine the backlash if she failed to recognize the woman in the room who so many believed deserved to win? Ronson dedicates an entire chapter in his book So You've Been Publicly Shamed to Justine Sacco. After his sarcastic quip on Twitter about AIDS, it became the number one trending topic that night. Surprisingly, she woke up to find that she had been fired and her reputation had been destroyed. People like you and me had actually sentenced Justine Sacco to a year's punishment for the crime of some poor sarcastic attempt at a joke in a tweet, as if a few words.
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