First, people can say some pretty awful things. I wish it were possible to hold those who make threats accountable. I find some of the insults people throw out to be disgusting but there isn't much to be done. It's not that everyone can say what they want, that's always been the case, it's that now everyone can read it. Instead of ten people hearing an idiot's rants, now a million can read them.
Now, that being said, Orth got into a fight with the customer base in a very public way and got fired for it. That is all his own fault and responsibility. Anyone who works in sales or services knows you cannot do that. It doesn't even matter if you're right or wrong, going out of your way to argue with customers will get you fired.
That means Orth himself was part of the "Internet Toxicity Effect."
If he really wanted to help, his talk should have been about not triggering trouble over social media. I'd bet that a lot of people in the industry haven't had to deal with difficult customers on a daily basis and lack understanding in that area.
Also, that article not mentioning the running argument, which is really what got him fired, is a bit irresponsible.
