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Friend Game Behind The Online Hoax Analysis

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In her article “Friend Game: Behind the Online Hoax that Led to a Girl’s Suicide,” Lauren Collins informs her audience of the story of Megan Meier, a thirteen year old girl who committed suicide after experiencing online bullying from a fake Myspace account. A profile under the name Josh Evans was tailored to Megan’s desires, drew her in, then cruelly berated her to the point that she took her own life.
Megan Meier grew up in the town of Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, in a close-knit neighborhood in which every family knew each other. Megan befriended Sarah Drew, a girl who lived four houses down the street. Megan and Sarah’s relationship was on-again off-again, and the girls would often go from spending an entire weekend together to not speaking …show more content…
The Meiers implemented strict rules for the account, hoping to protect Megan from getting hurt or putting herself in harm’s way, and in mid-September, when she received a friend request from Josh Evans, her parents reluctantly let her accept, saying, “but if there’s one cross word, delete him” (Collins 504**). Evans’ profile seemed to be catered to everything Megan desired, with attractive pictures and a sob story about his childhood that appealed to her compassion for the underdog. Megan and Josh began messaging back and forth, and she was smitten for him. Soon after, however, the harassment began. On October 15, Josh asked Megan why she was mean to her friends, leaving her confused as to where he had heard that, and upset when he wouldn’t answer her messages. The next day, Megan’s mother came home to find Megan in hysterics over “an insult war that had broken out between Megan, Josh, and some of their friends” (Collins 513). About twenty minutes later, her mother found her in her closet, where she had hung herself using a cloth belt. The last message she received from Josh said, “You’re a shitty person, and the world would be a better place without you in it” (Collins

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