The immediacy and fast pace of the Internet can be magical.
But when someone makes a comment that the masses disagree with, a mob with 140-character pitchforks can develop in seconds and the Internet can become terrifyingly bellicose.
We saw this happen late-last week when Justine Sacco, now the former communications director for InterActiveCorp, better known as I.A.C., tweeted: “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” before boarding a flight to Africa from London.
The response on social media came quickly. And the speed with which it turned ugly was even scarier.
At first the discussion around her tweet was relatively trivial, with people wondering if Ms. Sacco’s account had been hacked. Yet as soon as it was clear that she had made similar comments in the past, the Internet turned into a voracious and vengeful mob. Ms. Sacco was tried and judged guilty in a public square of millions and soon attacked in a way that seemed worse than her original statement.
Within hours, people threatened to rape, shoot, kill and torture her. The mob found her Facebook and Instagram accounts and began threatening the same perils on photos she had posted of friends and family. Not satisfied, people began threatening her family directly. The incident was a trending topic on Twitter and a huge forum thread on Reddit.
This all happened while Ms. Sacco was on a 12-hour flight without Wi-Fi to Africa. When she landed, it was game over. She deleted her entire social footprint online, including her Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and was fired from her job, effective 12 hours earlier.
“This default to hate, this automatic mockery and derision, needs to be viewed with the same hatred as Sacco’s tweet,” wrote Tauriq Moosa, a tutor in ethics, bioethics and critical thinking at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. “Indeed, more so, since more people do it, no one is arbiter of said hate, and it’s constant, wide-ranging and terrifying if you’re the target.”
The Latest on: Internet mob
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Internet mob” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Internet mob
- 'Stay indoors': India cautions its students in Kyrgyzstan amid mob violenceon May 17, 2024 at 9:59 pm
India has urged citizens in Kyrgyzstan to stay indoors amid attacks on foreign students. The advisory was issued after several Pakistani students were injured in mob violence in their hostel. "We are ...
- A 1938 Mob Case Has Mind-Boggling Parallels to Trump’s N.Y. Prosecutionon May 15, 2024 at 4:15 am
If you’re wondering how Donald Trump’s hush money trial is likely to turn out, it’s worth casting an eye back to a 1938 mob case. The decision in People v. Luciano—ironically also a trial ...
- Poppy Playtime Movie Coming from Legendaryon May 9, 2024 at 10:04 am
The hit kid’s horror game Poppy Playtime is getting the movie treatment as Legendary has inked a deal with creator Mob Entertainment and Angry Films to make a live-action adaptation. Legendary will ...
- Mental Health Awareness Flash Mob set for Friday at Central Libraryon May 8, 2024 at 1:03 pm
Erie County Legislature Chairwoman April Baskin will speak at the 11th annual Mental Health Awareness Flash Mob from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday in the Central Library, 1 Lafayette Square.
- Why the internet is comparing the Met Gala to 'The Hunger Games'on May 8, 2024 at 12:33 am
As a humanitarian crisis and worldwide protests carry forward, the spectacle of the event has raised questions.
- To find masked mob members who attacked UCLA camp, police are using Jan. 6 tacticson May 7, 2024 at 6:38 am
Campus police are scanning hundreds of images and using facial-recognition technology to identify the attackers. Similar tools were used to identify Jan. 6 attackers.
- UCLA taps LAPD, district attorney, FBI in investigation of attack on pro-Palestinian campon May 6, 2024 at 10:31 pm
Just before midnight Tuesday, a large group arrived on the Westwood campus, some wearing masks. Some in the mob — seen live on TV and the internet — used plastic pipes and planks to strike ...
- Controversial new mob comes to Minecraft, and it’s available right nowon April 22, 2024 at 4:59 pm
Last autumn, the Minecraft community was incensed about the results of a mob vote conducted in advance of its 1.21 Update. Players were given an opportunity to vote on three options for the ...
- Minecraft: 12 Rarest Mob Variantson April 20, 2024 at 6:45 am
Please verify your email address. Rare mobs in Minecraft are worth seeking out, with some having extremely low spawn rates and unique characteristics. Building a zoo with rare mob variants can be ...
- Is Disney Justified in Firing Gina Carano from the Mandalorian? A New Perspectiveon April 19, 2024 at 3:00 am
In the movie Dream Scenario, starring Nicholas Cage, a biology professor named Paul Matthews starts appearing in the nightmares of random people all over the country. None of these people ...
via Bing News