This takes a toll on people’s mental health, especially if the pile-on lasts for a few days. It can feel incredibly overwhelming as you may feel that the entire world hates you.
The justification that many people use for engaging in these pile-ons is to “hold the person to account”.
It’s a very normal reason as we tend to want people to learn from their mistakes but also to be held accountable for their actions.
However, this can quickly turn into public shaming. If 1.2 million people are yelling at you about your mistake or action, you’re probably not going to learn much.
More likely, you will either abandon social media platforms altogether or become defensive, resentful and retreat further into your position.