The Price of Shame

Monika Lewinsky

This is a really moving TED TAlk that is worth every minute of watching.

Monica Lewinsky explores the devastating personal and societal impacts of public shaming and online humiliation. She recounts her own experience in the age of internet shame, when her private life became a spectacle, instantly and globally. Lewinsky reveals how cruelty online can spiral and inflict lasting harm, not just on individuals but across society.

But the talk is also about hope and justice. Lewinsky shares how she transformed her trauma into purpose by becoming an anti-bullying activist and advocating for empathy over degradation. She focuses on how “Public shaming as a blood sport has to stop.”

This talk received a standing ovation and is now one of the top ten most viewed TED Talks of all time with over 10 million views.