Board Members of the Center for Integral Wisdom, Dr. Kristina Kincaid and Chahat Corten, wrote an excellent piece elaborating on the case study of Marc Gafni, distinguishing the True Marc Gafni Story from the mass of false claims, manufactured victim voices, and other atrocities.

It is called:

Using the Internet to Attempt Social Murder

In it they describe how we have seen “over the past year in our election cycle, the internet has become a tool for the circulation and perpetuation of gross falsehoods and distortions.”

They then refer to the “5 challenges facing today’s social media” from Wael Ghonim’s TED-Talk:

First, we spread rumors that confirm our personal biases. Second, we create ‘echo chambers’ in which to communicate only with people who share the same beliefs as us. Third, online discussions can (and often do) quickly turn into angry mobs. Fourth, it’s nearly impossible to change our opinions once we’ve posted them since everything ‘lives’ on the internet indefinitely. And Fifth, our online experience is designed for shallow comments over deep conversations. In other words, the internet has become a forum which allows for the bypassing all of the mechanisms of justice and integrity upon which this great country is founded.

Kincaid and Corten then go on:

In this light, you will find the following case study an unnerving example that speaks directly into Ghonim’s points. You will discover how the internet is used to crowd-source a witch hunt in an effort to publicly shame and ultimately commit social murder of innocent people. And finally, you will realize the sobering truth: That this could happen to anyone, including you.