Instant Humiliation: Just Add YouTube!

In modern fiction, characters will post embarrassing videos of each other on YouTube (or something eerily similar). This functions just like public humiliation, but instead of just their friends and family, it's everyone in the entire world. For such a young medium (YouTube was founded in 2005), this trope has acclimated rather well. While intended as a method of public humiliation, such schemes often backfire spectacularly, generating unexpected sympathy for the target and potential legal or social consequences for the perpetrator. There's no closing the floodgates once word of mouth (or, more likely, word of Facebook and Reddit) starts travelling. Typically, the video will become a viral sensation, getting millions of views in a manner of days. Although not as common as depicted in the media, it is Truth in Television. It is part of an Internet Safety Aesop since you should be careful about what you post online. Subtrope of Come to Gawk (which is for crowds of people witnessing embarrassing events in general, and isn't limited to the internet). Compare with Engineered Public Confession: When the goal shifts from mere humiliation to exposing harmful behavior, creating a scenario of accountability rather than simple mockery. Also compare Instant Web Hit, Embarrassing Ad Gig, and Are We Getting This? (a nearby news reporter or filming crew tries to videotape an unexpected, extraordinary event). May tie in with Social Media Is Bad and Cyberbullying. May result in Accidental Celebrity.