Last Days Of August logo (Audible) Photo: Supplied
The author and journalist Jon Ronson made the podcast "The Butterfly Effect" about the many (sometimes surprising) consequences of the rise in free online pornography. He's also written a book about public online shaming and abuse called 'So You've Been Publicly Shamed'.
These two worlds meet in 'The Last Days of August' his new show telling the story of August Ames, an adult actor and model who took her own life in December 2017.
This happened after she'd posted Twitter comments that some thought homophobic. And it provoked a social media backlash which included the suggestion from a fellow adult performer that she should apologise, or take a cyanide pill.
The social media firestorm was the cause of her death according to Ames' husband, the porn director Kevin Moore.
But Ronson and producer Lina Misitzis do a masterful job in presenting a more nuanced picture, suggesting that there were many other factors at play. And they don't do it by creating false tension or a fake mystery either- early on in the show they make it clear that no one is suspected of her murder.
We play some of episode 1 of The Last Days of August presented and produced by Jon Ronson and Lina Misitzis and available exclusively via Audible. [Warning: the clip deals with mature subject matter and contains some discussion of suicide.]
