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Trial by Fury: Internet Savagery and the Amanda Knox Case
The Amanda Knox murder case generated one of the most savage outpourings of commentary the Internet has ever seen. There are countless statements calling for the murdering, raping, torturing, throat-cutting, frying, hanging, electrocution, burning, and rotting in hell of Amanda, along with her sisters, family, friends, and supporters.
Why?
Trial By Fury explores this dark netherworld, identifying the people involved, and investigating their motives. It documents the real-world damage caused by these anonymous bloggers, including how they managed to get a much decorated ex-FBI agent fired from his job. It also recounts the story of the Wikipedia entry about the case, which triggered a spectacular brawl among top wiki-editors, leading to outings, rants, bannings-for-life, and death threats, requiring the intervention of Jimmy Wales himself.
Why?
Trial By Fury explores this dark netherworld, identifying the people involved, and investigating their motives. It documents the real-world damage caused by these anonymous bloggers, including how they managed to get a much decorated ex-FBI agent fired from his job. It also recounts the story of the Wikipedia entry about the case, which triggered a spectacular brawl among top wiki-editors, leading to outings, rants, bannings-for-life, and death threats, requiring the intervention of Jimmy Wales himself.
23 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2013
70 people are currently reading
813 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Preston
183 books13.5k followersDouglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley. Following a distinguished career at a private nursery school--he was almost immediately expelled--he attended public schools and the Cambridge School of Weston. Notable events in his early life included the loss of a fingertip at the age of three to a bicycle; the loss of his two front teeth to his brother Richard's fist; and various broken bones, also incurred in dust-ups with Richard. (Richard went on to write The Hot Zone and The Cobra Event, which tells you all you need to know about what it was like to grow up with him as a brother.)
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
June 17, 2013
An interesting Kindle short. I picked this up because I am interested in the Amanda Knox case, but this book is less about Amanda Knox and more about the savagery of anonymous people on the internet, of internet trolls, and of the psychology behind why people behave the way they do on the internet.
This book brought to mind to me the hurtful things that can be posted even here on Goodreads, the trolls that attack in reviewers in comments in reviews, sock puppet reviewers who attack authors and/or other reviewers, the independent websites that are started anonymously to attack those they deem as Goodread's bullies, when they are in fact bullying themselves, etc. The psychology is the same.
As the author describes it, "The Web is a gigantic tar pit that traps and fossilizes every electron that ventures within."
He goes on to ask, "Why are there so many savage, crazy, vicious, and angry people on the internet?" He suggests it is because "the web offers a perfect outlet where they can be anonymous, important, and powerful, and attack others without fear of retribution."
Apparently, after Amanda Knox was arrested, several Anti-Amanda websites were created by anonymous bloggers, bloggers who posted an average of 7 times a day for over 5 years time. Blogs where dissenting posters were banned and their opinions removed. These blogs are where much of the false and hateful information about the case was spread, some of it even being picked up by media such as the BBC and Newsweek.
The author then goes on to discuss what some anthropologists call third-party punishment, or "altruistic punishment", and then gives a sociology discussion on why this may help explain why some anonymous people act the way they do on the internet.
The author closes by saying that "The Internet is indeed a non-state form of social control - but one that is severely dysfunctional. The ugliness on the Internet is not white noise. It lasts forever. It cannot be ignored. It causes terrible things to happen in the real world. The Internet is a place where our darkest evolutionary biology runs riot."
The author's interest in the Amanda Knox case stems from his run in with her prosecutor, Giuliano Mignini, when the author was in Italy researching for a totally unrelated book about a serial killer in Florence in the 1960's. When the author's investigation when against the theories that a Satanic cult was responsible for the Florence murders, he detained and interrogated for hours without an interpreter or attorney, similar to how Amanda Knox was treated, and they demanded he confess to his own involvement in the old murders. Bizarre!
This book is also not a book against Meredith Kercher, as the author states "It should be noted that Meredith Kercher was, by all accounts, a remarkable person, her death a terrible loss."
A fascinating short read for anyone who has ever wondered why there are Trolls on the internet, and why they act the way they do.
This book brought to mind to me the hurtful things that can be posted even here on Goodreads, the trolls that attack in reviewers in comments in reviews, sock puppet reviewers who attack authors and/or other reviewers, the independent websites that are started anonymously to attack those they deem as Goodread's bullies, when they are in fact bullying themselves, etc. The psychology is the same.
As the author describes it, "The Web is a gigantic tar pit that traps and fossilizes every electron that ventures within."
He goes on to ask, "Why are there so many savage, crazy, vicious, and angry people on the internet?" He suggests it is because "the web offers a perfect outlet where they can be anonymous, important, and powerful, and attack others without fear of retribution."
Apparently, after Amanda Knox was arrested, several Anti-Amanda websites were created by anonymous bloggers, bloggers who posted an average of 7 times a day for over 5 years time. Blogs where dissenting posters were banned and their opinions removed. These blogs are where much of the false and hateful information about the case was spread, some of it even being picked up by media such as the BBC and Newsweek.
The author then goes on to discuss what some anthropologists call third-party punishment, or "altruistic punishment", and then gives a sociology discussion on why this may help explain why some anonymous people act the way they do on the internet.
The author closes by saying that "The Internet is indeed a non-state form of social control - but one that is severely dysfunctional. The ugliness on the Internet is not white noise. It lasts forever. It cannot be ignored. It causes terrible things to happen in the real world. The Internet is a place where our darkest evolutionary biology runs riot."
The author's interest in the Amanda Knox case stems from his run in with her prosecutor, Giuliano Mignini, when the author was in Italy researching for a totally unrelated book about a serial killer in Florence in the 1960's. When the author's investigation when against the theories that a Satanic cult was responsible for the Florence murders, he detained and interrogated for hours without an interpreter or attorney, similar to how Amanda Knox was treated, and they demanded he confess to his own involvement in the old murders. Bizarre!
This book is also not a book against Meredith Kercher, as the author states "It should be noted that Meredith Kercher was, by all accounts, a remarkable person, her death a terrible loss."
A fascinating short read for anyone who has ever wondered why there are Trolls on the internet, and why they act the way they do.
Read
December 4, 2015The Internet turned ugly.
Taking Amanda's case as an example, Preston takes us into the dark side of the Internet, in which people (forming groups), just attack viciously others they don't even know. What is the reason behind this? Why are they so eager to condemn and be so offensive, to such extreme than it even endanger people in real life?
It gives me the creeps. Thing online stay forever, and people ought to know that and the consequences. Oh, and they should also get a life.
Taking Amanda's case as an example, Preston takes us into the dark side of the Internet, in which people (forming groups), just attack viciously others they don't even know. What is the reason behind this? Why are they so eager to condemn and be so offensive, to such extreme than it even endanger people in real life?
It gives me the creeps. Thing online stay forever, and people ought to know that and the consequences. Oh, and they should also get a life.
October 6, 2017
how insightful
p13: "...there was no evidence again amanda."
p13: "...there was no evidence again amanda."
December 22, 2013
I first heard about David Preston when I saw him interviewed for 60 minutes, then began to learn of the batshit insane prosecuting attorney in the Amanda Knox trial who basically thinks *ermagerdeveryonesinthewholeworldzbeezsatanworshippurzz!*, and basically used this main paranoid belief in prosecuting Knox and Solecito (sp?sorrytootired).
While this is less about Knox, and more of an examination of the ugly, creepy, and deeply true side of the Internet mob mentality, this is a thought-provoking and timely investigation into the ugly side of human biology and our innate need to punish and create insular communities.
While this is less about Knox, and more of an examination of the ugly, creepy, and deeply true side of the Internet mob mentality, this is a thought-provoking and timely investigation into the ugly side of human biology and our innate need to punish and create insular communities.
June 17, 2013
There's been much said about internet anonymity and the barbarianism it brings. This article was a refreshing change in that it wasn't yet another long-winded whine that "people just aren't civilized any more." Instead this looks at the scientific and evolutionary background to why witch hunts and all their similar activities arise.
That said, the assumption here is that Amanda Knox is innocent. That's something I lean toward myself. Mr. Preston has made a solid case that prosecutor Magnini (sp?) is nuts, a case he also supported in The Monster of Florence. If you don't share that opinion then a lot of this article will be lost on you.
Regarding the biological part of the article, it was a relief to finally read something that logically and calmly assessed the nature of people's behavior on the web. I myself try to use my real name whenever possible now, as that forces me to realize that my words, while of course not omnipotent, certainly do have a power to affect others' feelings.
If anything, I wanted more about the biological underpinnings and less about Miss Knox. Still, a great Kindle Single.
Larry Nocella
author of the novel, Loser's Memorial, available on Amazon
That said, the assumption here is that Amanda Knox is innocent. That's something I lean toward myself. Mr. Preston has made a solid case that prosecutor Magnini (sp?) is nuts, a case he also supported in The Monster of Florence. If you don't share that opinion then a lot of this article will be lost on you.
Regarding the biological part of the article, it was a relief to finally read something that logically and calmly assessed the nature of people's behavior on the web. I myself try to use my real name whenever possible now, as that forces me to realize that my words, while of course not omnipotent, certainly do have a power to affect others' feelings.
If anything, I wanted more about the biological underpinnings and less about Miss Knox. Still, a great Kindle Single.
Larry Nocella
author of the novel, Loser's Memorial, available on Amazon
May 25, 2013
Very interesting article about the crazy and toxic internet mobs that dominated the blogosphere discussion of Amanda Knox. I didn't follow the case closely, so the level of vitriol (to the point of stalking people who spoke at all in her defense) was news to me.
May 4, 2013
Kindle single - just wish it were longer, as I'm always ready to read what Douglas Preston has to say about Italy's justice system.
December 4, 2024
I enjoyed this. It's a well-written short read.
April 26, 2013
This is a Kindle short, as they are called, but I thought it extremely interesting. Written by Douglas Preston, co-writer with Lincoln Child, of the A. Pendergast series, it is a thoughtful and unique perspective on human behavior when it comes to the internet, the evolution of human altruism and other subjects. (Preston also wrote "The Monster of Florence" about a serial killer in Italy which is being made into a movie starring George Clooney). The same police inspector who falsified evidence in the 'monster' case, falsified "evidence" in the Amanda Knox case. This was a murder case where two American college students were sharing quarters with Amanda's Italian boyfriend. One morning, the murdered body of the other girl was found, and Amanda and her boyfriend were charged with the murder, although there was no evidence that tied Amanda Knox to the crime. However, hate blogs against Amanda Knox were started on the internet, and the comments just became worse and worse. For people who had never even met the subjects, much less gone to Italy, it was ugly and outrageous. It became so bad that if someone claimed they thought Knox innocent, they and their families were harassed by means of phone calls, written letters, internet posts, etc. It got so bad that several death threats were even issued to people who had the temerity to insist that one is innocent until proven guilty. (Amanda and her boyfriend were acquitted, but word has it they will be re-tried at some future time). The author goes into the reasons why people become so hateful and opinionated on the internet (anonymity perceived being one of them), and also the steps in evolution that led to this kind of behavior. He posits that humans' altruistic behavior actually came about because of the need for people to be punished for transgressions against the group. For instance, without war, there would also be no altruism. Perhaps this is true, I am not sure, but it sure is something to think about. Of course, the author also mentioned the system does go haywire when situations like Adolf Hitler's madness influences a large group, and today, it is the internet where people are judged, tried and convicted by a group of people who are not even their peers in any sense of the word. To me, that is a dangerous and scary thought.
April 25, 2013
This was an interesting book. It spoke of crime, punishment and society. It use to be shocking murder cases were reported in international, national and local newspapers. Some made it to rock the world and become high profile cases reported on with every legal move. Others died away to only local news. With the advent of the internet every case can easily become the high profile, international case. Not only are these cases now reported in the newspapers, hashed over on the tv and shown on channels such as Court TV but there are blogs devoted to them. Amanda Knox has fallen into this category of alleged murderers. Every bit of their trial is scrutinized on the internet. Every piece of evidence, real or rumored, is taken as fact. The person on trial now not only has a guilt or innocence trial in court but also on the internet and tv. The concept of innocent until proven guilty has, often times, turned into guilty unless proven innocent. I picked up this book because recent cases and their internet/tv draw has fascinated me. What makes someone passionately believe in someone's guilt or innocence without really knowing the evidence? What makes someone hate someone to the degree that Amanda Knox has received? Why would you start a blog for or against her innocence that resembles a fan club or hate club? Is this a new phenomenon or has it always been there just not as well known before the internet? Most of all is this useful or detrimental to society? This book delves into that and attempts to answer these questions. It is not a book that presents the evidence or rehashes the trial of Amanda Knox. If you are looking for that this is not your book. If you are interested in why society acts as it is in regards to Amanda Knox and whether or not it is useful to society than you may enjoy this book. I appreciated the book and the information the author gives. I feel though I cannot give it 5 stars though as the author takes a side. I would have preferred a neutral discussion in which the excessive feelings expressed in Pro Amanda Knox blogs were also explored with an eye to the role good or bad they play in society. It is worth reading though if you are interested in criminal justice as the side it does present is well written.
May 24, 2013
The author explores the phenomenon of people being vilified on the internet and frequently found guilty without benefit of trial. The murder in Perugia of Meredith Kercher attracted headlines round the world. The trial, imprisonment and subsequent acquittal of Amanda Knox attracted even more controversy.
This book is not about the case itself but about the way anonymous bloggers and forum members ranged themselves for and against Amanda Knox. It wasn’t just a polite difference of opinion it was and is about totally annihilating the perceived ‘enemy’. If you happen to think Amanda Knox is innocent you will receive threats against your life and frequently against family members as well. You will be called all the names under the sun. This will happen as well if you think Amanda Knox is guilty.
The author argues that this behaviour is based in a human instinct which is to punish wrong doers within a group for the benefit of the group. In the case of internet arguments this instinct has been turned outwards towards anyone who doesn’t share your point of view. This is an interesting and frightening phenomenon and can be seen at work in connection with many high profile criminal cases.
This book is not about the case itself but about the way anonymous bloggers and forum members ranged themselves for and against Amanda Knox. It wasn’t just a polite difference of opinion it was and is about totally annihilating the perceived ‘enemy’. If you happen to think Amanda Knox is innocent you will receive threats against your life and frequently against family members as well. You will be called all the names under the sun. This will happen as well if you think Amanda Knox is guilty.
The author argues that this behaviour is based in a human instinct which is to punish wrong doers within a group for the benefit of the group. In the case of internet arguments this instinct has been turned outwards towards anyone who doesn’t share your point of view. This is an interesting and frightening phenomenon and can be seen at work in connection with many high profile criminal cases.
March 3, 2014
First of all, I like what Douglas Preston is trying to do here in this kindle single. He begins by showing a samplying of some of the truly vile things people have said about Amanda Knox on the Internet...but not only about her but any of her supporters as well. Preston discusses the permenant nature of what we write on line and looks at some of the key haters. Then he turns to the why. Why are people so invested in countless hours of reviling discourse? Why are people so filled with hare for a person who has never harmed them nor whom they have they ever met? Preston looks to an evolutionary researcher for his answer. And this is where he started to lose me.
There were a few logical leaps that I couldn't make and in the end I found the answer wanting. His final conclusion is something that we have known for quite a while--the Internet is an unchecked and ungoverned place in the world that influences the "real world."
There were a few logical leaps that I couldn't make and in the end I found the answer wanting. His final conclusion is something that we have known for quite a while--the Internet is an unchecked and ungoverned place in the world that influences the "real world."
May 6, 2013
This short Kindle Single raises interesting questions about justice in the age of the Internet where we find tribalism and ancient urges of exclusion and retribution playing out in our on-line commenting and participation. As a society we are a long way from having a mature system to deal with Internet content and almost infinite storage capabilities. The concept that war might be partially responsible for the increase in human altruism alone was worth the short read.
December 21, 2013
Author Preston explores the reasons behind the Internet rage at Amanda Knox and her supporters. This reasoning can be applied, I assume, to any case of cyberbullying and sadly this is just mob mentality where people believe they can say anything they want online with no consequences. After the suicides we hear about on the news of young people who just can't take anymore, there needs to be consequences. Enough is enough.
May 13, 2013
When I started reading, I thought it was yet another article about Amanda's innocence. The article relates a whole new world created around this case, and the explanation for such world is staggering.
A good read for those not familiar with the case (I am sure they will become interested on it), and a must read for anyone who already dipped a tow in this XXI century real life drama.
A good read for those not familiar with the case (I am sure they will become interested on it), and a must read for anyone who already dipped a tow in this XXI century real life drama.
August 11, 2013
I thought that this Kindle single was primarily about the infamous Amanda Knox murder case in Italy. It turns out to be more of an exploration of how the internet is easily manipulated to destroy reputations and turn public opinion. It is interesting, but ultimately this topic deserves a longer, more scholarly investigation.
August 2, 2013
I found this article to be very interesting. It is fascinating to think about how people can be so vicious, judgemental and completely insane in their own version of right and wrong towards people they don't know. I would recommend that everyone read this article and hold a magnifying glass to their own heart and mind when it comes to how they perceive what they read and post on the internet.
April 27, 2013
This book deals with why certain internet groups have threatened the life of Amanda Knox. Once the author became involved, he was also threatened. He attempts to explain this hatred as well as cautioning on using the internet for postings of any kind. The posts will always be there.
May 1, 2013
interesting to read. not just for the Amanda Knox case but for everything. the Internet is an open forum where mob mentality comes easily, where you are completely anonymous and have no repercussion for things you say. makes you think.
June 2, 2013
Very interesting... I've not made much attention to the Amanda Knox story, and it truly isn't the point behind this article. The psychology behind crowd and individual behavior on the Internet is a really compelling conversation.
May 1, 2013
Excellent. This looks at the the internet savagery side of things while using the Amanda Knox case as a framework. Well worth reading.
May 10, 2013
The internet has given people the ability to effect things from the couch. And they take it to the next level here.
May 24, 2013
You will learn nothing new about the Amanda Knox case. However, Preston does give some provocative analysis of unchecked Internet communities as rogue enterprise that need checks and balances.
August 27, 2013
A nice companion piece to Amanda's memoir. Preston theories how the mix of complex human psychology, and the anonymity the internet allows us, fueled the terrifying witch hunt against Amanda.
June 13, 2024
A very (even too) short but fascinating report on internet mobs, including a short psychological analysis of the phenomenon.
January 12, 2016
YA GOTTA LOVE DEM ITALIANS…
“The bitch needs to die naked tasting her own blood.” (Kindle Location 4)
“Peter Quennell (the only anti-Amanda blogger to use his real name), wrote over eight hundred detailed articles about the case in addition to posting more than two thousand comments. His writings add up to more words than the Bible, War and Peace, Finnegans Wake, and the Iliad and Odyssey combined.” (Kindle Locations 111-113)
From the vehemence, the vituperation, and the depth of passionate hatred spewed forth, you’d think the whole damn internet was populated only by EYE-talians (my grandfather’s pronunciation). There are some very vicious trolls out there. What made them so angry?
An exemplary ex-F.B.I agent was even fired from his job as head of security by Pepperdine University—an exemplary university—because of personal attacks directed at him and his family (and the school?) by unconscionable trolls. Why? Because the evidence convinced him that Amanda Knox was innocent, and he had the temerity to post as much.
I loved Douglas Prestons earlier non-fiction, Monster of Florence (READ IT!) and was eager to read this little gem, by him: Trial by Fury: Internet Savagery and the Amanda Knox Case (more a long magazine article that a book), as soon as I learned about it. That the chief prosecutor in the Amanda Knox case was the same vicious, bumbling idiot that had harassed—even going so far as to arrest Preston and his Italian journalist cohort as accessories to murder (unbelievable)—while they were researching MoF—was just compelling frosting on the cake for me.
Recommendation: I truly wish Douglas Preston might write a real book on the Amanda Knox fiasco; but I’ll gladly settle for this indictment of the behavior of some (many?) in the internet community in the meantime. Try it. I think you’ll like it.
“Why did these many people, with no connection to the case and at potential risk to themselves, devote their lives to attacking Amanda Knox and all those who supported her? The answer to this baffling human behavior lies, as many such answers do, in evolutionary biology.” (Kindle Locations 252-253)
(Kindle Single) Kindle Edition, 23 pages, 349 Kindle Locations
“The bitch needs to die naked tasting her own blood.” (Kindle Location 4)
“Peter Quennell (the only anti-Amanda blogger to use his real name), wrote over eight hundred detailed articles about the case in addition to posting more than two thousand comments. His writings add up to more words than the Bible, War and Peace, Finnegans Wake, and the Iliad and Odyssey combined.” (Kindle Locations 111-113)
From the vehemence, the vituperation, and the depth of passionate hatred spewed forth, you’d think the whole damn internet was populated only by EYE-talians (my grandfather’s pronunciation). There are some very vicious trolls out there. What made them so angry?
An exemplary ex-F.B.I agent was even fired from his job as head of security by Pepperdine University—an exemplary university—because of personal attacks directed at him and his family (and the school?) by unconscionable trolls. Why? Because the evidence convinced him that Amanda Knox was innocent, and he had the temerity to post as much.
I loved Douglas Prestons earlier non-fiction, Monster of Florence (READ IT!) and was eager to read this little gem, by him: Trial by Fury: Internet Savagery and the Amanda Knox Case (more a long magazine article that a book), as soon as I learned about it. That the chief prosecutor in the Amanda Knox case was the same vicious, bumbling idiot that had harassed—even going so far as to arrest Preston and his Italian journalist cohort as accessories to murder (unbelievable)—while they were researching MoF—was just compelling frosting on the cake for me.
Recommendation: I truly wish Douglas Preston might write a real book on the Amanda Knox fiasco; but I’ll gladly settle for this indictment of the behavior of some (many?) in the internet community in the meantime. Try it. I think you’ll like it.
“Why did these many people, with no connection to the case and at potential risk to themselves, devote their lives to attacking Amanda Knox and all those who supported her? The answer to this baffling human behavior lies, as many such answers do, in evolutionary biology.” (Kindle Locations 252-253)
(Kindle Single) Kindle Edition, 23 pages, 349 Kindle Locations
September 22, 2013
The essay is informative (at least it was for me) but not very well organized. Half of it is about the internet trolls who are obsessed with the Amanda Knox trial and the harm they do in real life, the other half about the social phenomenon of "third-party punishers" or "altruistic punishers." While there is obviously some overlap in the topics, they don't fit neatly into one another and as a result both topics end up under-explored. The internet furor over the Knox trial is only one example of “altruistic punishment” run amok in an anonymous setting—other examples would have helped to make the concept more clear. And on the flip side, this particular social phenomenon can't be the only factor in the Knox trial trolling—why are they fixating only on the girl involved and not on the two men? And why the extreme obsession with this particular topic, with some people writing hundreds of articles and thousands of posts about it, mostly ignoring all other controversies? And what about other typical types of trolling—the whacky religious comments, the conspiracy theories, the comments containing nothing but random expletives, the angry rants about completely unrelated topics? Do they fit in with the “punishment” aspect, or do they have a different cause? The essay begs so many questions, and then doesn't answer them. It definitely has some interesting info and is thought provoking, but because of the poor organization it feels a bit like a (very toned-down) angry rant itself.
May 21, 2013
Via http://onlectus.blogspot.com/2013/05/...
This book is a Kindle single (100 pages).
Based on the case of Amanda Knox, Preston discusses Internet viciousness. He talks about people going to the extreme to get Knox punished for a murder she might or might have not committed.
The questions Preston covers are:
- Why do people post vicious messages online?
- Why do people who have nothing to do with this case, or any other case for that matter, devote time to attacking the offender?
- Are you morally accountable online?
Anti-Amanda groups have gone to the extreme of stalking pro-Amanda people and exposing their personal lives. Why? What do they gain with that?
The book is very interesting as at one time or another, I too have posted an angry message against someone.
Definitely worth the $0.99 I paid for it. I think it is free if you have Amazon Prime.
This book is a Kindle single (100 pages).
Based on the case of Amanda Knox, Preston discusses Internet viciousness. He talks about people going to the extreme to get Knox punished for a murder she might or might have not committed.
The questions Preston covers are:
- Why do people post vicious messages online?
- Why do people who have nothing to do with this case, or any other case for that matter, devote time to attacking the offender?
- Are you morally accountable online?
Anti-Amanda groups have gone to the extreme of stalking pro-Amanda people and exposing their personal lives. Why? What do they gain with that?
The book is very interesting as at one time or another, I too have posted an angry message against someone.
Definitely worth the $0.99 I paid for it. I think it is free if you have Amazon Prime.
June 30, 2013
A frequent topic of concerned discussion between me and my friends has been the increasing polarization of opinion on topics that range from the sublime to the ridiculous, and the danger that such polarization poses to stability. We have been particularly alarmed by political arguments which demonize the opposing party. This "kindle single" uses the author's experience in reporting on the Amanda Knox case to explore this issue, and the role that online anonymity and clique formation play in this disturbing social trend. It is well-written, easily and quickly read, and extremely thought-provoking.
September 14, 2015
Definitely not what I was expecting. The organization was strange--a block about his experiences in the blogosphere and then an analysis of *why* people become "punishers" and overly so. These things were compelling, but this short as it exists didn't quite work for me--there needs to be a blending and a conversation and moveable parts. OR, perhaps have it be Part I and Part II--a definitive break. This might be the impulses of a poetry editor speaking here.
From the book:
"Now we have the Internet. It functions, in part, as a non-state form of social control. But it is one where our punishing instincts go haywire."
From the book:
"Now we have the Internet. It functions, in part, as a non-state form of social control. But it is one where our punishing instincts go haywire."
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