Afterwords Books discussion

Food for thought:

1. One of the overriding questions posed by Ronson's book is whether or not anyone of us might become the butt of a public shaming scandal. Are any of us immune? Are you?

2. Can you come up with your own examples of someone who received a highly public shaming through social media? Did that individual deserve the attention and attendant disgrace?

3. How easy is it for someone to put his or her life back together after being publicly shamed?

4. To what degree does someone, who is object of social media frenzy, deserve the disapprobation he or she receives?

5. What role does—and ideally should—blame and shame play in maintaining society's moral standards? How do we hold people accountable for their transgressions—and what kind of transgressions deserve public shaming?

6. Which, if any, of Ronson's subjects do you have sympathy for? Was there anyone you felt who deserved the high-profile blame?

7. Is there anything positive, any societal good, that results from social media's blame-and shame potential?