Internet abuse: The price is more than shame
After being publicly silent for decades, Monica Lewinsky gave a speech on TED’s talk called “The price of shame”. It was a great speech of a woman who survived from the public humiliation. After watched this speech, the first time I know the word “cyberbullying” and the first time I’ve realized how horrid the impact can be made by the hateful comments and judgements.
As a victim of Internet abuse in 1998, there is no word for it. When the scandal went public, it was the time of digital revolution. Even it’s before social media, the speed of spread was still made her to publicly humiliated overnight.
And when social media was born, the consequence of the similar cases has become dire. Back to September 2010, there is news of an 18- year old student from Rutger University named Tyler Clementi jumped from the George Washington Bridge to his death. The reason behind that is because he was webcammed by his roommate while being intimate with another man. And then, the cyberbullying made him couldn’t live for another day.
There are uncountable examples of internet harassment nowadays. People are allowed comment whatever they want online and say it is their right for the voice to be heard, it is called “freedom of speech”. As far as I concerned, it is not. The freedom comes with responsibilities. We are well-educated people, we should be responsible for what we do as well as what we said because abusive words are literally powerful weapons. You will never know if it gonna change one’s life.
Here is the link of Lewinsky’s TED’s talk: