hackertube.io

How one tweet can ruin your life | Jon Ronson

TED · talk · Watch on YouTube

Futurism & technology and societySocial issues & culturePsychology & human behavior

What it is

Jon Ronson's TED talk on public shaming on Twitter, centered on Justine Sacco and others whose lives were upended by online mobs. He argues we have become a baying crowd and should rethink how we treat each other online.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN commenters bring it up in threads about online mobs and cancellation as a relevant talk by a journalist who interviewed shamed people.

  • 5 people recommended it
  • 5 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2018, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “Great TED talk on the original twitter kerfuffle referenced in the article”

    Great TED talk on the original Twitter kerfuffle

    stcredzero, 2018-05 · Recommendation · in “How Social Media Exploits Our Moral Emotions”

  2. “Jon Ronson has a great TED talk about this”

    Ronson on how a tweet can ruin lives

    sebmellen, 2020-10 · Recommendation · in “My friend starts her job today, after learning to program in prison”

  3. “A relevant TED Talk I always think of when reading about these stories”

    Relevant talk on online shaming

    Zealotux, 2021-05 · Recommendation · in “Life after an internet mob attack”

  4. “the TED talk "How one tweet can ruin your life" from 2015”

    TED talk on how tweets ruin lives

    josephg, 2023-02 · Recommendation · in “Hundreds of changes made to latest editions of Roald Dahl's books”

  5. “I'm reminded of this TED talk in these scenarios, by a journalist and author who interviewed many people who have been publicly shamed”

    Talk by journalist who interviewed publicly shamed people

    dkdcio, 2025-07 · Recommendation · in “The sadist assault on the 'Coldplay couple'”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: twitter, public shaming, social media, justine sacco, internet mobs

Also recommended by the same people