There’s something morbidly fascinating about seeing someone at the mercy of the online court of public opinion. But what do you do when it’s you in the firing line?
UP UNTIL A FEW MONTHS AGO, the name Rachel Roy meant nothing to me. Perhaps it meant just as little to you – until Lemonade made the possibility of Jay Z cheating on Beyoncé a thing. Until ‘Becky with the good hair’ became a common enemy of the Beyhive, and Roy seemed, thanks to a misinterpreted Instagram post, like a likely ‘side chick’. ‘Online haters have targeted me and my daughters in a hurtful and scary manner, including physical threats,’ said Roy after the online firestorm forced her to make her account private.
Online shame is nothing new. The first real publicshaming scandal to rock the Internet broke in 1998, when a 24-year-old White House intern was found to have had an affair with her 51-year-old boss … who just happened to be the president of the United States. The OG ‘other woman’ Monica Lewinsky explained in her 2015 TED Talk entitled ‘The Price of Shame’ that ‘It was the first time the traditional news was usurped by the Internet for a major news story… I was patient zero of losing a personal reputation on a global scale almost instantaneously.’
In the time since, social media has added its own nasty edge. ‘Society has always had an appetite for public executions, stoning and hangings,’ says Tails of a Mermaid blogger Natalie Roos (Tailsofamermaid.com). ‘The difference now is that people can do their stonethrowing from their desk, bed or couch. Social media has made it easier to shame, easier to find dirt and easier to ruin someone’s life.’
This story is from the August 2016 edition of Cosmopolitan - South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2016 edition of Cosmopolitan - South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Marc Buckner
The Bachelor SA Season 2’s star is here to make you swoon. Find out why boss babes are ready to risk it all for this adventurous dog lover.
I Tested Positive For The Alzheimer's Gene At 26 Years Old
A DNA testing kit is like a crystal ball, but what if you don’t like what you see?
Basically No-One Has A 28-Day Menstrual Cycle
Brought to you by: the idea of a ‘normal’ period is a lie
For Those Times When You're Like, ‘I Love You, But You're Annoying...'
Coupledom can be hard!
How To Get Sh*t Done
Calling all procrastinators: sometimes getting started on a new project or goal can be the hardest part. Here’s how to stop putting it off and actually press go
Is Rage Bait Okay?
It has become the new engagement strategy for many brands. Companies bait their followers into engaging with their content around topics that cause outrage. But is this okay? Social -media strategists Talya Goldberg and Jabulile Dlamini -Qwesha share their views.
Is Cardio A Scam? And 7 Other Not-stupid Questions About Fitness Things
Thanks for calling 0800 -WTF- Is -This
Hold The Phone
Zozibini Tunzi is here to remind you all to Take. Up. Space. She’s rewriting the pageantry rulebook, and she wants you to join in (in a bath, wearing sparkly boots, because that’s just how we roll).
How To Tell It Like It Is *And Finally Get A Promotion*
Receiving constructive criticism on your work can be terrifying. But do it right and it can be a career game-changer.
What Makes A Compulsive Liar?
We all do it. Tell those lit t le white lies to ourselves, and others. But what about those for whom lying is a way of life? Catriona Harvey-Jenner investigates the rise of a new kind of scammer.
