Gonzo Rangers has opened the doors to a mob shamefest on some guy who left voicemail for a woman he met through a dating service, demanding that she pay him $50 for dinner and drinks after she told him she didn't want a second date. The entry includes emails and voicemail recordings. This kind of thing — publicly shaming a person for rude behavior by posting voice recordings, video, and photos on the Web — is becoming very common — sidekick thief, subway flasher, camera thief, subway puppy poo girl. Who needs law enforcement when you have a globally distributed mob ready to pounce on people who are accused of behaving badly? (Note: I was being sarcastic in this last sentence) Link
Reader comment:
Adam says:
You forgot the "The Broken Laptop I sold on eBay Blog"
James says
Privacy should be a concern for everyone. My main concern when I see articles like these about mobs using public shaming and ostracism as a form of punishment for social misdemeanors makes me cringe. I can't help but think that at some point, someone will be wrongly victimized by one of these mobs and there will be no protection for them.
I speak from real-world experience with mob-mentality from when I was in high-school. I was constantly ostracized, threatened, and involved in altercations that landed me in the hospital or near death on several occassions. My only social crime? Being a punk in a sea of kids who were into hip-hop and gangs.
Already there are many victims of online shaming. This usually happens under the title of "cyber-bullying" to teenagers and I've yet to hear misplaced shamings in the adult world. However, as the Internet becomes more common place I believe it could become inevitable.
I can't imagine for what, but what if in the future you fell victim to one of these public shamings merely for behaving outside the accepted mob norm? Maybe you get drunk at a party with some co-workers and someone decides to initiate a public shaming of you for flirting with a colleague. Suddenly a personal situation that could be resolved between the parties actually involved becomes a public event and maybe it costs you your job. How could a person protect themselves from such an invasion of privacy?
