Lolcows: The Internet's Never-Ending Tragedy - Hardcover

"The internet doesn't just watch people fail-it turns their collapse into entertainment."

Don't know what a lolcow is? Welcome to a new and unique genre of internet entertainment. Lolcows: The Internet's Never-Ending Tragedy is the first book to explore this uniquely modern phenomenon in depth.

A lolcow is someone endlessly baited or tricked into responding to trolls thereby "milking" them for amusing reactions. Once targeted, escape is rare.

Behind the memes and mockery lies a darker truth: audience manipulation, emotional breakdowns, public humiliations, drug use, shameless grifting, lies, and often financial ruin-played out in real time before a global audience.

These are not fictional villains or scripted characters. They are real people whose rise and fall mirrors classic tragedy, amplified by the internet's endless memory and appetite for spectacle.

Each lolcow provides a tragic rise and fall story, but also an opportunity to learn. This book will explore the lessons in lolcows and how they can serve as examples for us.

Inside, you'll discover:

• How lolcows are created-and why they can't break the cycle
• The traits and behaviors that make someone vulnerable
• The role of trolls, audiences, and platforms in sustaining the phenomenon
• Six in-depth case studies spanning multiple internet eras and genres: