The Elan Gale internet hoax sums up all that is rotten about our online lives | Hadley Freeman

When I was a teenager, I thought it would be great to be an adult and be surrounded by people who weren't mean to each other all day. Enter stage left: the world wide webBack in the early 90s, when I was still at school and words such as "friend" and "message" were nouns as opposed to verbs, a particular incident occurred. For a month or so, a book had been circling among my classmates in which we wrote anonymous mean things about each other, and the statements that were deemed the funniest – invariably, the meanest – would get (anonymous) stars of approval. One day someone wrote in the book that a classmate whom I'll call Rose had made out with her cousin. More details about this fascinating make-out session were added to the book daily, and reading about Rose and her cousin became the only reason any of us wanted to come to school in the mornings. Eventually the writer of the story, whom I'll call Charlotte, couldn't resist claiming the attention she felt was duly hers and let her involvement be known.The saga now reached peak hysteria and Rose tearfully went to a teacher. Charlotte was forced to admit that she had made the whole thing up, all because she wanted some stars. (Naturally, the most salacious story a privileged, protected 13-year-old girl could think of was someone making out with their cousin.) All of us stared down at the floor as she confessed, because even though we knew Charlotte had now laid herself open to the most deliciously sharp mockery, hadn't we... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Price could escalate to $50 million over the next four years. The post Livingly Media Sells to European Publishing Group for $25 Million appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2015-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Online presence for Dick King-Smith

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeb Bush's email dump puts constituents' personal data online

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[ PC World | 2015-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Proposed changes in copyright law could render online music streaming more expensive

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[ PC World | 2015-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The great internet swindle: ever get the feeling you've been cheated?

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[ The Guardian | 2015-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Uncle Sam and the Illusion of Privacy Online

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[ The Atlantic | 2015-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'PW' Panel Looks at 'The Internet of Books'

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jewish online magazine starts charging commenters to deter 'offenders'

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[ The Guardian | 2015-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp newspaper revenue falls 6% as ads and subscribers go online

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[ The Guardian | 2015-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The ebook is dead. Long live the ebook

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[ The Guardian | 2015-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Wired | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Advertising Age | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Guardian | 2015-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Aer.io Lets You Curate Your Own Online Bookstore

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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DK Launches Online Encyclopedia for Kids

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster Enters the World of Paid Online Video

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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