The List: A Novel

The motif of vulnerability supports the theme of The Real-World Impact of Online Activity. On the internet, Michael and Ola are vulnerable; as the narrative states, “Once you fed something to the internet, it was never truly yours again” (152). As Michael and Ola are constantly “feeding” the internet with ideas and personal images, they surrender control of their reputations to the people who consume their content. The dynamic works for a while, turning Ola and Michael into one of the “sort of Insta-famous, accidental influencer couples” (79). However, once The List appears, the users on the internet take advantage of Ola and Michael’s vulnerable position as influencers and wreck their personal lives and careers.

In Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence (Verso, 2004), the contemporary theorist Judith Butler addresses the idea of vulnerability, declaring, “Let's face it. We're undone by each other. And if we're not, we're missing something” (23). On the internet, people attack one another through harmful comments and posts, and such behavior is not limited to the internet. In the physical world, people are vulnerable to similar forms of harm. In the park, Ola is vulnerable to Jackie, and vice versa, so the internet impacts reality by adding to the world’s existing forms of vulnerability. People who are too deeply invested in the internet become vulnerable to those inhabiting their physical and digital realms. To curb their level of vulnerability, Michael and Ola rethink their relationship with the internet and social media.