It felt a bit surreal reading that, and reading the comments here. I know that many of us seem to spend more and more of our time seeking validation online (a state of mind I already struggle to understand), but this is a lot darker than I'd imagined.
Speaking of dark, I see this story as somewhere in the middle.
Here's the dynamic: There's the 'feel good' stuff of raising money for good causes or getting people to send letters to a sick child - all of which takes online validation to spread - and then there's the 'dark side' where those who are vulnerable and seeking validation online can be exploited and driven to suicide. A Mother-bullying-neighbor-girl case comes to mind, and I don't think it'll be the last.
It's not a new phenomenon to be seeking attention - that's pretty much hard-wired in some people's composition - but the online dynamic (+ influences by Kardashian-esque mentalities of fame uber alles) has added a new wrinkle to figuring out how to deal with such compulsions.
