Defamation in the Age of the Internet

Now more than ever, don't be a sheep.

Now more than ever, don't be a sheep.

Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

In a way, people now have the most power ever in the history of humanity. Never has a single individual permanently affected how a person or group is perceived, using cheap and readily available tools, like now. Any person with a free blogging account can say anything they want about anyone else, wrap it up in attention-grabbing headlines, and permanently damage that person's reputation. Unfortunately, the more scandalous they say is, the more attention it gets, the better their page ranks on Google, and the more money they make.

This works so well because of people's emotional tendency to be engaged with the content of a "scandalous" nature. It is similar to the impulse that makes you want to look at a car accident. Content about "sordid" topics appeals to primitive human feelings. It draws people in and keeps them hooked, like a drug. The more drugs you give to an addict, the more they want. But the thing they w…