Shame Nation reads like a modern horror story. It shows how quickly a persons life can be change forever with one misstep on the internet. There is a lot of good advice throughout the book to help readers avoid the pitfalls that others have found themselves in, which makes it a great reference book. That being said, I don't think I would read this book again cover-to-cover. As a reference, it provides the reader with plenty of resources they can go to if they find themselves needing help.

Shame Nation is a great reminder that the internet is forever. Our future may be decided by something we wrote as a teenager.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Sue Scheff
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Publication Date: 2017

Very frank and in-depth look at how easily the internet can be used as a weapon to shame others. Also takes steps to help individuals to protect themselves or react to internet shaming. Fascinating and scary!,

I've seen and experienced first hand the effects of cyberbullying both as a student and a professional adult. It's something that follows you forever. You can't get away, and it's a topic that isn't discussed nearly enough, especially as many who haven't experienced it or don't know anyone who has experienced it, don't understand the seriousness of it. Recently my dad and I were discussing cyberbullying, and he said: "well we were just tougher in my day". My response was: "you went home at the end of the day and could get away from it. You could move. You could get a new job. It wasn't something that followed you everywhere forever." This book addresses exactly that issue: how pervasive and permanent cyberbullying and its affects are.

An interesting read but the same effect could have been achieved with a shorter format and fewer examples. Certainly a lot to mull over.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I'm not sure I'm the right reviewer for this book. I really don't have a social media "presence" beyond Goodreads and some Amazon reviews. There is a real trade-off between technology and privacy these days. Highways are more than one directional. The internet / "Information Highway" goes both ways.
As a matter of fact, I think the whole internet is getting creepier and creepier. Example: I log onto some local news sites semi-regular and then into USA Today to do a crossword puzzle..... and state and local politician's ads pop up there on a supposedly national web-site. Good grief.

People, especially kids and teens do dumb things. That's how we learn and develop good sense. Self esteem is THE result of taking esteemable actions..

I found Shame Nation to be mostly anecdotal rather than analytical and skewed to the outraged hysteric.. Its was also somewhat redundant. Gossip and rumors have been around as long as people. Some percentage of the population feels better when they put others down. They deserve our pity.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Jon Ronson's <b>"So You've Been Publicly Shamed" </b> I decided to request an ARC for this book.

<b> "Shame Nation: The Global Epidemic of Online Hate </b> brings to the forefront this culture of internet trolls, ridiculing and the general hate that is displayed by people online. The book also does a deep dive into Social Media etiquette, highlighting ways to keep a great presence online along with how to deal with trolls.

While I liked the examples in each chapters, particularly cases I was familiar with- The Plane Breakup, The Lady who tweeted about AIDS, the Miss America Teen etc... We got a behind the scene look at how their lives turned out after the whole "shame" incident. Having read "So You've Been Publicly Shamed" they covered majority if these cases, most time the book felt like a re-read.

The book got a little repetitive in some parts, but overall a solid book to read, especially in this digital age.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

This was certainly an eye opener. Shame has got to be the worst thing to happen to anyone, especially public shaming... People who do this stuff online anonymously should lose sleep for what they do. People on this planet do have a dark side.... This book was an interesting read. very insightful.

Shame Nation is a self-help book. The first half is a collection of miserable and dispiriting stories of people hunted, haunted and sometimes destroyed by online trolls. The second half is how to deal with it, primarily by preventing it in the first place, but also alternative paths, services and resources to help victims. It is fast moving and very granular.

In our isolationist society, it is easy to understand trolls. Trolling might be the only pleasure they have. “It’s easy and thrilling to hate a stranger online” says one of their interviewees. The anonymity allows them free reign to wreak havoc on both innocent and not so innocent lives. That they are judge, jury and executioner without due process never enters their minds. They are having their say and their fun.

Trolls come in many variations: body-shamers, sex-shamers, extortionists, know-it-all critics and above all, superficial commenters making assumptions with no evidence. They are empowered by their ability to spout their wisdom/criticism without fear of contradiction, and more importantly, without fear of reprisal. That Americans hate this much and this intensely is not really under the microscope.

The book will hook you with all its tales of (legitimate) woe, in endless variation and outcomes from reverse-shaming the trolls to suicide by the victims. It’s a new world on the internet, where we seem to want to repeat our old world of life being nasty, brutal and short.

One thing left unsaid in all the advice to be careful before pressing Send, is that the number one role model, the president of the United States, weekly shames judges, senators, congressmen, reporters, interviewers and anyone else he thinks is criticizing him, in the most vile language he can, from personal attacks to anything that flashes in his mind at the moment – usually 5AM. How do the authors think hundreds of millions of Americans will restrain themselves when the president is free to shame - is not raised here.

David Wineberg

Apologies, this was not what I expected. I found it slow and boring to read, to an average, but greedy reader.

The links will be added when I publish closer to the official publishing date:

This is a book everyone needs to read. The title perfectly fits the world we are currently living in. Our society has changed from guilt to shame - much like the Salem Witch Hunts, we see perceived wrongdoing and vehemently attack - and the internet is the perfect place for that to happen. Sue and Melissa do a brilliant job of bringing empathy back into the game. They show the humans behind the meme's and the real consequences for what happens when someone is "cyberlynched."

They explore the many different ways that the internet has been abused - every thing from revenge porn, to the destruction of lives because of one wrong tweet. They also give advice for ways to keep yourself as safe as possible, while also demonstrating that really there is only so much you can do to protect yourself from the wrath of the web.

Reading this has made me think deeply about what I post, like and share. No longer do I want to take pictures of people who are living their lives but for some reason something that they are doing either makes me laugh or offends me - I don't know their life and I shouldn't be spreading it. When I post or comment is it something that could be hurting the person in the picture. Could I be tacitly contributing to the cyber-bullying that we are trying so hard to eradicate?

The end of the book goes over several lessons learned that anyone can start applying in order to protect themselves and to help others. I honestly don't believe that humanity is terrible as a whole, but we do have to consciously work to remember that we are good and this is a book that can make that easier to do.

I don't often say go out and read this book, but this is one I find to be relevant to the world we live in and most likely will demand my children read when they are old enough to be posting regularly. It's amazing, go read it.

**This galley was given to me in exchange for an honest review.**

I think everyone who uses digital media / social media on a regular basis should read this book. The first half is all "oh, it would never happen to me" stories from everyday folks. The second half is about ways to avoid having that happen to you, and how to react if the unthinkable does occur. It's written by someone who walked through the media-frenzied fire and lived to tell about it. It's a good reminder to adults to stay on their toes, and a good awakening for younger media users who may not be aware of how far-reaching their words may go.