Why Didn't You Say Something???!!!!

If I have learned one thing from the world of the Internet, it is that word spread at an enormously fast rate as soon as it enters into digital publication. According to Sunstein, people who do not disclose information they hold and who follow the lead of those who have come before them, fall under the title of information cascades (p. 89-90). Reputation cascades, Sunstein says, are people who "think they know is right, or what is likely to be right, but they nonetheless go along with the crowd in order to maintain the good opinion of others" (p. 91). In terms of everyday life, I have issues with reputation and information cascades. It is one thing to not speak up about your friends outfit or new hair style because no one else is telling her that it looks bad, but it is another to stand by and let your friend get run over by a car because no one else was speaking up and telling her to watch out! However, when it comes down to digital publishing, I have an even bigger issue with information and reputation cascades.

When I think of the word reputation, I always first think of it in terms of high school 'clicks' and who was 'the cool kid' in class (I know that the word means much more then in just those terms, but for the purpose of this argument, I am using it in this context). To me, the MySpace Hoax that resulted in the death of a 13-year-old girl is a very good example of the significance of reputation cascades to digital publishing. 

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If someone had spoken up before-hand and not gone along with the crowd, making sure that Meagan knew that she was not alone and that she did have people who cared about her, maybe she would not be dead right now! With the ability to spread the word at an enormous fast speed and to thousands of people at once, this example shows how not speaking up against something that you know is wrong and just going along with the crowd becomes even more dangerous/ creates an even bigger impact when using digital media.