Ambivalence and antagonism: The intertwinement of gossiping and public shaming on social media

The vernacular practices of public shaming and gossiping on social media function both as entertainment and as disciplinary mechanisms. This article investigates two Finnish subreddits on Reddit, where gossiping and public shaming practices are closely intertwined. On these subreddits, screenshots of Finnish social media content creators’ posts are intensely circulated, scrutinised and dissected. This article examines how the gossiping practices are tied to the vernacular practices of public shaming on social media and what these practices are affixed to within the discourses created on these subreddits. The study found that the entertainment and judgement derived from these practices are tethered to themes of unpredictability, ambivalence and community building. These create moral discourses about non-normative ways of self-presentation and public conduct, both in corporal and online realms. Moreover, this study exemplifies that when gossiping and public shaming on social media intertwine, the line between disciplining and bullying becomes easier to cross.