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citizen to the target of worldwide cyberbullying overnight.

Although there was no social media then, the news stories

were reported online. The public posted cruel messages in
the comment sections following the articles, and they sent her

upsetting emails. They called her “tramp” and “whore.” This

public shaming was nearly unbearable for Lewinsky. In her TED
talk, she said, “In 1998, I lost my reputation and my dignity. I lost

almost everything. And I almost lost my life.” 31

Lewinsky credits the compassion she received from

family, friends, and even strangers for pulling her through this

depressed period. In her talk, she makes a plea for acting with

compassion online. She says, “What we need is a cultural
revolution. Public shaming as a blood sport has to stop. And it’s

time for an intervention on the internet, and in our culture. The

shift begins with something simple, but it’s not easy. We need

to return to a long-held value of compassion—compassion and
empathy. Online we’ve got a compassion deficit, an empathy

crisis.” She notes that
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“What we need is a cultural clicking on stories that
revolution. Public shaming as a
blood sport has to stop. And it’s feed on the humiliation of
time for an intervention on the
internet, and in our culture. . . . others is just a way to put
Online we’ve got a compassion money into the pockets
deficit, an empathy crisis.” 32
—Monica Lewinsky, of the websites running
antibullying activist
those stories. She advised
clicking with compassion.

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