By now Anthony Weiner has become a poster child for the perils of social media and a case study for the influence of Twitter. But I don’t believe Weinergate is about social media or digital illiteracy. Weinergate is simply another cautionary tale about public figures acting recklessly and badly.
From his mea culpa press conference, we learned that his public Tweet revealing himself in his bulging underwear (aimed at student Gennette Cordova) was just one of a series of online indiscretions (if that’s even the right word) with six women.
Or, as he put it: “I have exchanged photos and messages of an explicit nature with at least six women over the last few years.”
One of those women, Megan Broussard, shared with ABC News emails, Facebook messages, and other evidence of an online relationship that had been occurring since April.
“I didn’t think it was him,” she told ABC. “I thought for sure, ‘why would someone in that position be doing this?'”
Why indeed would someone in his position be doing something like this?