Online Shaming

A Restorative Response

Abstract

This article examines the concept of shame from a definitional and theoretical perspective and examines how the rapid growth and increasing dominance of online interactions have propagated a pandemic of online shaming which, due to the importance of ‘the virtual self’ in such interactions, is free from the traditional controls that have moderated shame and shaming in the ‘real world’. Drawing on the testimony of individuals impacted by this phenomenon, we explore the destructive impact on individuals and society and the potential for restorative practice to offer an effective response.