Pandemic shaming: is it helping us keep our distance?

Everyone from dog walkers to flower sellers have been singled out but online humiliation may not shift behaviourCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageScholarships have been threatened. LinkedIn and Facebook profiles have been removed. Death threats have been sent in their hundreds, if not thousands. And governments spurred into action. Since mid-March – when the government first recommended self-isolation measures as a way to tackle the spread of the world-altering respiratory disease Covid-19 – a public shaming frenzy has spread across social media. Thousands of people are blaming, naming, and shaming others for their improper pandemic pract ices; those targeted includedrunk spring breakers, coughing commuters, flower markets,Stereophonics fans, and romcom screenwriter Richard Curtis ’s daughter.When it comes to the crime of not taking a global pandemic seriously, perhaps online shaming is the perfect punishment. After all, if you go to a packed public place or hoard paracetamol, you ’re endangering other people’s lives. Yet is pointing the finger actually a productive way to change others’ behaviour? Are we simply spreading discord at an already distressing time? At worst, are we blaming individuals for the inconsistent and confused measures implemented by the government?Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Psychology Coronavirus outbreak Infectious diseases Science Social media Facebook LinkedIn Digital media Social networking Technology Culture Source Type: news