Karen Ever After: The Career & Legal Consequences of being the Racist White Lady in an Internet Meme

Abstract

With the coupled crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial protest movements in 2020, the “Karen” meme gained national attention as more incidents were posted online. These incidents have shown to be destructive to all parties involved as victims often experience negative health effects while “Karens” experience doxing. This study investigated the defaming career and legal consequences following the release of video content on social media in which a white woman dubbed as a “Karen” displays racist behaviors. Utilizing a directed qualitative content analysis, the sourcing of incident content came from a study by Been Verified that evaluated 150 incidents. A 2-part data-collection was implemented utilizing Advanced Google Search Engine and Chan McNamarah’s research on racialized police communication. Incidents were subsequently processing using a selection criterion to be considered for consequence assessment. Out of 56 qualified incidents, 27% had discovered career consequences and 27% had discovered legal consequences. This research contributes to a largely undiscussed field in academia by providing an in-depth assessment on defaming Internet trends. It has implications for HR specialists and policymakers in making appropriate decisions to ensure accountability is taken in online matters. It also holds significance for Internet-users in understanding how one’s digital footprint can be perceived online.