A review by aheartcalledhome
This is How it Happened by Paula Stokes

3.0

Cyberbullying and the prevalence of online shaming on the Internet are conversations that writers and educators alike have struggled to make relevant in a time when our ideas and methods of initiating and developing interpersonal relationships are changing dramatically. With the abstraction of social media profiles, likes and favorites in between the people involved in a conversation, it is easy to forget that there is a person behind every username and display picture. It is easier to dig up someone’s history, to lambast them for old decisions that they’ve since repented and apologized for, and shame them for events they had no power to change. This Is How It Happened harnesses the dark side of Internet community and the shift toward “point fingers first, ask questions later” to show the dangers of protecting someone who you idolize (and those associated with them) online, and how the fallout can truly destroy someone’s life.