Cybershaming and the darknet meant little to Helen FitzGerald before she began to research her novel on the horrors of the viral world

My latest novel, Viral, is about a young woman whose drunken mistake in Magaluf floods the internet and ruins her life. It deals with a contemporary family, which could be yours, and a contemporary crime – which could happen to you. That crime is involuntary pornography, and it’s not actually a crime. But I think it should be. I wanted to write about it because everything about the issue makes me furious: online misogyny, social hypocrisy and the lack of justice and support for women like my character, Su, whose world is shattered after being filmed in public without her knowledge.



Before I wrote Viral in 2014, I knew little about internet shaming, beyond the fact that it’s scary. I knew even less about revenge pornography, apart from the fact that it’s scary. And I knew nothing about the darknet … apart from, well, ditto. I like to write about things that scare me.

And what could be more terrifying than the darknet? I started reading about it when I was writing the book. It seemed so other to me that it couldn’t possibly exist. Like hell, if the believers were to be believed, this was an ugly and mean place filled with bad people doing bad things in very uncomfortable surroundings.

I’ve read a lot on shaming, revenge and involuntary pornography and the darknet since starting Viral. This education has made me more feel more frightened for women’s safety in our online world, and very concerned about the inadequacies of the law in dealing with it. I’ve also learned that the darknet is alien now in the same way that a Walkman was in 1978. It’s here guys, and we should probably learn more about it. Soon we may even venture down into the pit ourselves, just as we donned hefty earphones all those years ago.

So here are my top 10 books on the dangers of the web:

1. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

Accessible, entertaining, educational and frightening, Jon Ronson takes a look at some of the people whose lives have been torn to pieces by online shaming, examining who has survived this, and why. We have always punished people with shame, he argues, but now we have a new system of justice and a new way of dishing out punishment. This online sentencing is immediate, severe, destructive, irreversible and neverending. And it’s served by us: by me, and by you.

2. The Dark Net by Jamie Bartlett

After reading this absorbing, fantastic book, I understand more about what the darknet is, and am therefore a little less terrified of it. It’s people, most of them unremarkable, buying and selling, talking and reviewing. One day, I might use it to buy stationery like I use Amazon, or to talk about writing like I do on Facebook. Bartlett lays out the good aspects of the darknet – freedom of speech, freedom to be anonymous, anti-corruption, anti-authority. And he also talks about the bad – racism, sexism, child pornography, suicide forums, how easy it is to groom victims and ruin lives. So I’m not going there, not yet.

3. Cybersexism by Laurie Penny

I am longing for Penny to write more about sexism in the male-dominated digital sphere. In this pithy and important book, Penny takes a look at “nerd misogynists”, men who are often marginalised in the real world and who have found an outlet for their anger online. We need to let them know we are listening, she argues, and we need to educate them: “You can hack anything, and that includes sexism.”

4. The Intrusions by Stav Sharez

It surprises me that Sharez is one of few current crime writers to give the online world a significant role in his story. It’s at the centre of most stories nowadays, isn’t it? I was lucky enough to read The Intrusions before its release date later this year, and boy can Sharez do thriller. He writes beautifully, so look out for this one and pre-order as soon as you can.

5. Follow Me by Angela Clarke

Follow Me was an Amazon Debut of the Month. It features a baddie, dubbed the Hashtag Murderer, who taunts police by posting clues on Twitter. I loved the idea of a trending serial killer; enticing followers with 140-character clues that investigative journalist, Freddie, must untangle. As the tagline says: “Online, no one can hear you scream”. It’s the first of Clarke’s “social media murder series”.

6. In the Shadows of the Net: Breaking free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behaviour by Patrick J Carnes, David L Demonico, Elizabeth Griffin and Joseph M Moriarty

I read this for my work (I’m a criminal justice social worker, but I would recommend it to anyone. It’s essential reading for those working with internet offenders; for those who are worried about their own behaviour online, or concerned about the behaviour of someone they know. An excellent guide to recognising and addressing compulsive online sexual behaviour.

7. Cyberphobia: Identity, Trust, Security and the Internet by Edward Lucas

Written by Edward Lucas, a senior editor at the Economist, this book features an ordinary couple – Chip and Pin Hakhett – who are used to illustrate everyday cyber threats and ways to defend against them. I was shocked and scared to realise how vulnerable I am online, but also empowered by some of the solutions offered.

8. Butter, by Erin Lange

Dark, sad, but also funny, Lange tells the story of 400lb “Butter” who decides to go out with a bang. On New Year’s Eve, he will select a menu and eat himself to death live online. Disturbing, outstanding.

9. Wikileaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy, by David Leigh and Luke Harding

David Leigh and Luke Harding are award-winning Guardian journalists who were closely involved with the Wikileaks story as it unfolded. Their account reads like a thriller and includes fascinating details about Julian Assange’s childhood and personal life.

10. Life: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age, by Nev Schulman

Nev Schulman of Catfish fame takes his expertise and concerns about online relationships to the page, offering advice and warnings to his fans.

Viral by Helen FitzGerald is out now from Faber & Faber, at £12.99), and is available from the Guardian bookshop at £10.39.