Merriam-Webster Demonstrates Streisand Effect in May 20 Facebook Post

2 articles · Updated · creators.yahoo.com · May 23

Merriam-Webster used a May 20 Facebook post — “We really hope no one sees our definition of ‘Streisand effect’” — to deliberately trigger the phenomenon it defines.
The joke rests on psychological reactance: attempts to hide, censor or remove information often make people seek it out, giving it far more attention online.
The term traces to Barbra Streisand’s 2003 $50 million lawsuit over an aerial photo of her Malibu home; downloads jumped from 6 before the suit to more than 400,000 afterward.
That case was dismissed, and Streisand was ordered to pay $177,000 in legal fees; Techdirt founder Mike Masnick coined “Streisand effect” in 2005.
The pattern still recurs across public life: a 2023 study found banned books’ circulation rose 12% after bans, underscoring how suppression efforts can backfire.

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