This last week, we had been talking about things like cyber-vigilantism, cyber-shaming, digital footprints, and the right to have elements of our digital footprint be forgotten— among others.
I would like to make note of the Ted Talk, The price of shame video featuring Monica Lewinsky. She made some very good points throughout the video. Lewinsky opened with a question, asking the audience if anyone in the room had made a mistake when they were young. That’s a pretty open ended question, hey? Everyone who’s been on this planet has made at least one ill-advised decision in their lifetime. Whether that be forgetting to take out the trash, saying something dumb to impress friends, or even dating the wrong person for you.
Lewinsky’s mistake that she had highlighted was becoming romantically involved with the president of the US at the time. She was 22 at the time, and realized her mistake at 24. She was “swept up into the eye of a political, legal and media maelstrom like (we) had never seen before” (Lewinsky, 2015). She stated it was 1998 at the time of the event, so up until then, news was only consumed from three places: a newspaper or magazine, listening to the radio, and watching TV. But that wasn’t her fate. Lewinsky’s scandal was “brought to you by the digital revolution” (Lewinsky, 2015). Any information about this scandal was accessible in the palm of your hand at any given time. The story itself came out online in January 1998. It had been the first time traditional news was usurped by the internet for a major news story. Lewinsky went from being a completely private figure— to publicly humiliated worldwide… just overnight. She was branded as a “tramp” and “that woman”– among many other deeply harsh names (that I will not be listing).
This was one of the first public instances of cyberbullying and online harassment. Today, Lewinsky speaks out about her experience to raise awareness about public harassment and the dangers of the digital world.
Lewinsky’s closing remarks:
“It’s also not just about saving myself. Anyone who is suffering from shame and public humiliation needs to know one thing: you can survive it. I know it’s hard. It may not be painless, quick or easy, but you can insist on a different ending to your story. Have compassion with yourself. We all deserve compassion and to live both online and off in a more compassionate world”
— Monica Lewinsky, 2015