Internet Fame or Endless Nightmare?
Jessica Benet in the article “The Flip Side of Internet Fame”, discusses the negative effect the Internet fame may have on the individual. The Internet, as one of the most powerful mass media nowadays, spreads the news with the blazing speed, and one may become a celebrity or a laughingstock just in a few hours. It is extremely beneficial for those who seek for glory and popularity and like to be in the center of the public’s attention. The problem is that not all of the internet and YouTube stars really wanted to become these stars. Very often people are offended, nationally, condemned, or mocked even without their awareness, not to mention, agreement. The other thing is that the Internet space is hard to
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The examples provided in the article “clearly relate to the argument and [are] typical enough to support it” (Levin 158). Beret uses examples to prove the slip side of the Internet fame, to show the negative effect it had on lives and psychics of the people and their families. Being a random victim of a YouTube, some blog or website, many children and adults had to face the flip side of the Internet fame. In one case, it resulted in dropping out of college, fellows’ mockery, forever nicknames. Let us just consider the “Star Wars Kid” who became a YouTube celebrity with all the following consequences. The awkward performance enhanced with music and special video effects caused the boom on the Internet space making the poor kid a victim of public humiliation. Another example is a story of a student who was given a nickname “rapist” due to the public accusation of his misdeed. The things that had to be confidential or were not meant to be put on public damaged the lives and reputation of poor children. The provided examples of people who faced the unwanted Net glory, show that the Internet gives a possibility for one to destroy another’s life just for fun even without realizing the possible