BACKLASH — WHEN CONTROVERSY GOES VIRAL (Friday)
A backlash happens when a person, company or organisation receives a strong negative reaction from the public because of something they have said or done. Today, social media can make a small controversy become an international story in just a few hours. Sometimes criticism is justified because someone has behaved badly or made a serious mistake. In other situations, people disagree about whether something was offensive or inappropriate. During the Super Bowl halftime show in 2004, singer Janet Jackson performed with Justin Timberlake. At the end of their performance, Timberlake pulled part of Jackson's costume, briefly exposing her breast on live television. The incident was described as a "wardrobe malfunction". The event caused enormous controversy in the United States. Millions of people complained about what they had seen, and television broadcasters faced criticism. The incident also led to discussions about what should be allowed on live television. Jackson apolog...