The Airtight Case Against Internet Pile-Ons
This is an edition of Up for Debate, a newsletter by Conor Friedersdorf. On Wednesdays, he rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here.
Question of the Week
Young women are struggling. “Nearly 1 in 3 high school girls reported in 2021 that they seriously considered suicide—up nearly 60 percent from a decade ago—according to new findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” The Washington Post reports. Drawing on the same study, Axios notes, “About 30% of teen girls said they had seriously considered attempting suicide, up from 19% in 2011.” What is going on? Whether you have young women in your life who have shaped your perspective or other experiences with this topic, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Send your responses to conor@theatlantic.com.
Conversations of Note
When Jon Ronson published in 2015, I hoped his numerous illustrations of online mobs meting out cruelty in the guise of
