Jimmy Savile

I was introduced to Jimmy Savile when his memory had already become monstrous. Savile was a popular UK television host and  DJ for over 40 years, on his most prominent BBC shows "Jim'll Fix It" and "Top of the Pops". In his lifetime, "Saint Jimmy" was a household figure known for his charity work, notably visiting sick children in hospitals, and was even knighted. 

Following his death in 2011, his extensive crimes against children came to light, in part to a whisper network that formed and grew on social media. While Savile's legacy and public perception is multi-faceted in its horror, I was fascinated by his victims' use of social media in its earliest incarnations (circa 2000s) to find support and gather evidence. 

It struck me that many of their stories may have gone unnoticed and unconnected, if they were not facilitated by tools of the digital age.