Shaming 2.0. Social Interaction and the Construction of Shame and Shaming

Abstract

With the rise and spread of the Web 2.0 culture the nature of “old”/“traditional” social interaction, including shame and shaming, is changing as more and more attention is given to online vs. offline social interactions. Amongst those on-going changes lies the construction of Shaming 2.0, i.e., a public attempt to impose shame on “the Other” by using Web 2.0 technological capabilities. Thus, Shaming 2.0 can be defined as a pragmatic social negotiation regarding the boundaries of what is allowed and forbidden, what is acceptable and unacceptable while performing on-line and off-line social interactions. The illustration of Shaming 2.0 was conducted by utilizing Israeli rabbinical court decisions in the era of Web 2.0 cultural features. Via the implementation of critical discourse analysis, the rise of the ‘Virtual Mirror’ is portrayed side by side with “new” social interactions behind the scenes of Shame 2.0.