Why we crave public shame

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This episode explores if accountability can actually be enforced online. From Couch Guy to the Coldplay CEO scandal to various celebrity scandals, we break down how accountability culture has evolved into a tool for public shaming, who bears the heaviest burden of that shame, and why the people causing the most harm are often the least likely to face consequences.

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Timestamps:

00:00 Ad read

00:46 Intro

3:46 What is accountability culture?

8:03 Recent examples of “accountability culture” & what accountability culture looks like online

11:20 Why are social media users so obsessed with demanding accountability from literal strangers?

16:35 Who enforces accountability culture? Exploring audience, individual, and elite enforcers

23:47 Can people online ever truly be held accountable?

28:33 Conclusion

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Sources: 

Kelly, E. I. (2024). Accountability in criminal justice. Journal of Social Philosophy, 55(2), 317–335. https://doi.org/10.1111/josp.12560

Pelsinger, C. (2025). Beyond punishment: Towards a framework of transformative accountability. Punishment & Society, 27(4), 785–804. https://doi.org/10.1177/14624745251319345 

Dawson, A. J., Williams, S., & Wilson, A. E. (2025). A Tale of Two Tweets: What Factors Predict Forgiveness of Past Transgressions on Social Media? Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 51(7), 1259–1280. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672231214629

https://www.tiktok.com/@eltheegg/video/7527051338040053006

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Foucault, M., & Sheridan, A. (1996). Discipline and punish : the birth of the prison (2nd Vintage books ed.). Vintage Books, a division of Random House.

https://ethics.org.au/ethics-explainer-panopticon-what-is-the-panopticon-effect/

Dai, R., Thomas, M. K. E., & Rawolle, S. (2025). Revisiting Foucault’s panopticon: how does AI surveillance transform educational norms? British Journal of Sociology of Education, 46(5), 650–668. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2025.2501118 

https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/2010-11/Journalism/index1766.html?page_id=21  

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/aug/09/grifter-political-insult-2025-con-artist 

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/grifter