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TedTalk about online shaming

 TedTalk made a playlist on their website with videos for National Bullying Prevention Month, which is in October. In one of the videos, Jon Ronson talks about how far we go in shaming someone online when they do or say something wrong in our opinion. He talks about a situation from 2013 on Twitter that got completely out of hand, to encourage us to reflect about our online presence. Is it really necessary to completely annihilate someone when they say one wrong thing?

A good example of this in my opinion is Rachel Zegler, an actress who got cast as Snow White in the new live action remake. People were already so mad she wasn’t white that they felt the need to be very racist online and cyberbully her, but when she said some negative things about the original movie, she suddenly became the antichrist to everyone online. It got so far that people showed up at her apartment to harass her. In my opinion, the backlash was way too much, but also directed at the completely wrong person. What actors say to promote their new movies is most if not all the time decided by the marketing team of the movie, not by the actors themselves.

So I completely agree with Ronson, we should rethink how we interact with each other online. Because people seem to forget that the mean things we type on our screen, we say to a real person.


This is the link to the TedTalk: https://www.ted.com/talks/jon_ronson_when_online_shaming_goes_too_far?referrer=playlist-ted_talks_for_national_bully_prevention_month&autoplay=true


This is the link to an article about the harassment Rachel Zegler faced: https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/rachel-zeglers-snow-white-casting-backlash-got-so-bad-that-people-started-showing-up-to-her-apartment/ar-AA1tePLA


Ronson, J. (z.d.). When online shaming goes too far [Video]. TED Talks. https://www.ted.com/talks/jon_ronson_when_online_shaming_goes_too_far?referrer=playlist-ted_talks_for_national_bully_prevention_month&autoplay=true

MSN. (z.d.). https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/rachel-zeglers-snow-white-casting-backlash-got-so-bad-that-people-started-showing-up-to-her-apartment/ar-AA1tePLA


- Charlotte Siffert
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Comments

  1. Lara DüngfelderMay 4, 2025 at 4:43 AM

    Thank you for sharing this important perspective. I completely agree that the way we communicate through online platforms requires serious reflection. Many people tend to hide behind their online personality, not caring about the impact that their behaviour may have on other individuals. Often, those who are targeted by online backlash are not even given the chance to explain or defend themselves, which could make them feel powerless. The example you mentioned, points out a very problematic pattern, where people use a, from their point of view, 'wrong' thing that one individual has said, to express their underlying prejudices - like racism in the case of Rachel Zegler. This underlines the importance of fighting against online hate and bullying.

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 14, 2025 at 7:49 AM

      Thank you for your comment Lara!

      Delete
  2. Maud van der MeiMay 29, 2025 at 2:23 AM

    Thanks for sharing your blog! I think you shed light on a very important topic here, not just for 'normal people' but also for celebrities. The rise of the internet has opened the door for online hate. I feel like online hate or 'cancel culture' towards celebrities is often not seen as bullying but as part of the profession. Your post makes it clear that we need to see these things for what they are, which is bullying.

    ReplyDelete

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