In class, we explored some intense topics: cyber-vigilantism, online shaming, digital footprints, and the right to be forgotten. These themes were brought to life in two TED Talks:
Monica Lewinsky’s The Price of Shame
and Jon Ronson’s One Tweet Can Ruin Your Life
Both gave us a stark look at how quickly a person can be reduced to a mistake—and how unforgiving the internet can be.
Lewinsky’s talk was especially emotional. She reminded us that behind every viral scandal is a human being. She became one of the first to experience a global wave of online shaming, long before we even had a name for it. Her story showed how a moment of poor judgment, combined with the power of media and the internet, can snowball into long-term trauma.
Jon Ronson’s talk was more analytical, but no less impactful. He walked us through real-life examples of people whose lives were destroyed by online mobs for a single bad tweet. Many of these people weren’t famous. They were everyday people who made a mistake, often without malice, and were publicly humiliated, sometimes for years. It was a chilling reminder that the internet doesn’t easily forgive, and it never forgets.
This hit home especially hard when we discussed digital identity in class. The slides talked about how our online and offline lives are constantly intersecting. As Monica Lewinsky said, “Public shaming as a blood sport has to stop.” And yet, in this “augmented reality” where our lives are played out both online and in person, our digital footprints are being watched, not just by our friends and followers, but also by future employers, coworkers, and even students.
The part that really stuck with me from class was the idea that for teachers, digital identity isn’t just a side part of your life, it’s a professional responsibility. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that even our off-duty behaviour online is fair game when it comes to evaluating our fitness to teach. That’s a heavy responsibility, and it’s something I’ve started to take a lot more seriously.
At the same time, the class also challenged me to think beyond just “don’t post bad stuff.” What kind of digital identity do I want to build? How can I use my voice online in a way that reflects who I am, and who I want to be as a teacher? Can I be someone who doesn’t just avoid harm but actively contributes to positive change?
I think the most important takeaway for me is this: we need to create space for growth and forgiveness online, just like we do in real life. Yes, accountability matters, but people also deserve the right to learn from their mistakes, not to be defined by them forever.
As future educators, we have a role to play in modeling this for students. We need to teach them that their digital choices matter, but also that their identities online are theirs to shape. That their worst moment doesn’t have to be their whole story. And that one tweet doesn’t have to ruin your life, if we, as a society, learn how to respond with empathy instead of cruelty.