Scandal Cascades
In the news, it seems that we find more and more sexual harassment stories than ever before. Why is this? At first, it is possible that the election of Donald Trump was a factor in the beginning, as he was associated with some sexual harassment scandals. But it is possible that what really perpetuated this phenomenon was information cascades. With the internet, people can connect and spread information quicker than ever. These scandals are no different, having information tipped to journalists or news sources, sources of information people all over the world can eventually read.
In lecture, we discussed the implications of information cascades, the same cascades that motivated so many people to speak out against the harassment they have received. That is, based on the fact that others spoke about the harassment they received, people would feel more empowered or even that it was important to speak out about what they had experienced.
https://www.ft.com/content/6973e6d6-d047-11e7-9dbb-291a884dd8c6