Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Apple’s misunderstood crossbody iPhone strap might be the best I’ve seen

    September 10, 2025

    Real Estate Speculators Are Swooping In to Buy Disaster-Hit Homes

    September 10, 2025

    Zillow’s new AI staging feature is impressively unimpressive

    September 10, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » How to Handle Online Harassment When It Happens to You
    Gear

    How to Handle Online Harassment When It Happens to You

    News RoomBy News RoomApril 24, 20243 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    In 2022 I wrote an op-ed for NBC News Think about leg hair, of all things. The piece detailed a monthlong experiment during which I stopped shaving. Aside from one paragraph about bodily autonomy and Roe v. Wade, I thought it was a mild article. Boring, even.

    The internet disagreed. Within an hour of publication, I started getting angry, all-caps emails. Then it started on Twitter. I was called everything from stupid and self-absorbed to a Sasquatch. I was accused of hating men and pressuring women.

    The deluge lasted nearly two weeks. By the end of it, I had dozens of nasty emails, nearly a thousand social media notifications, and zero idea how to handle what I’d experienced.

    Unfortunately, these instances of online harassment are becoming more common. In 2021, the Pew Research Center reported that 41 percent of US adults had experienced online harassment; the Anti-Defamation League reported an increase to 52 percent in 2023. Public and semipublic figures are especially at risk, as noted by recent studies on American journalists, Zimbabwean journalists, and female members of parliament in Sweden.

    But the truth is, on social media anyone with an account can experience harassment. Here’s what to do if it happens to you.

    Document Everything

    Knee-deep in hate mail, I reached out to a former thesis adviser who’d written op-eds. How had he handled the trolls?

    His reply: Document everything. If you have to report the harassment to a social platform or to law enforcement, you will need a body of evidence that proves the harassment.

    Save the nasty emails in a special folder, either manually or by using keywords to filter and route all of the relevant mail automatically.

    On social media, screenshot what people say. Doing this gives you lasting digital proof, which is important if the trolling comments disappear later on, either because the trolls deleted them or because someone reported the comments, which led to them being removed. Save all of these screenshots in a folder that can easily be shared with anyone investigating your harassment.

    Documenting harassment is common advice, featured in resources ranging from writing-specific organizations like PEN America to wider organizations like the University of Chicago and the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

    Don’t Respond

    Another common piece of advice is “don’t feed the trolls.” In theory, if you don’t react to harassment, the trolls get bored and leave. Some have argued that this advice has failed us, as it puts the onus on the victim to stop the cyberbullying; it suggests that it’s not the trolls who need to stop but rather the victim who needs to turn the other cheek.

    This is a fair critique; social media platforms should build better moderation systems and restrict users who breach standards on harassment. Ideally, events like the 2024 child safety hearing before US Congress will lead to changes that make the internet safer for everyone. In a perfect world, the onus is on Big Tech.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleLaptops with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus and Elite processors are coming
    Next Article Biden signs TikTok “ban” bill into law, starting the clock for ByteDance to divest it

    Related Posts

    If You Like Surround Sound, the Sonos Era 300 Is 20 Percent Off Right Now

    August 26, 2025

    Read This Before Buying a Window Air Conditioner

    August 26, 2025

    The Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 Is a Budget 16-Inch Laptop That Barely Squeaks By

    August 26, 2025

    Matter Is Finally Ready to Deliver the Smart Home It Promised

    August 26, 2025

    US EV Sales Are Booming—for Now

    August 26, 2025

    WIRED Might Have Found a New Best Bag in the World

    August 26, 2025
    Our Picks

    Real Estate Speculators Are Swooping In to Buy Disaster-Hit Homes

    September 10, 2025

    Zillow’s new AI staging feature is impressively unimpressive

    September 10, 2025

    This Blood Thinner Is More Effective Than Aspirin at Preventing Heart Attacks

    September 10, 2025

    Here’s everything you need to know about preordering the 2025 iPhone lineup

    September 9, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    News

    You can now preorder the Apple Watch SE 3, Series 11, and Ultra 3

    By News RoomSeptember 9, 2025

    The iPhone Air and the iPhone 17 fleet of phones took the spotlight during Apple’s…

    Psychological Tricks Can Get AI to Break the Rules

    September 9, 2025

    Apple is giving iPhone 14 and 15 users another free year of satellite features

    September 9, 2025

    Apple says the iPhone 17 comes with a massive security upgrade

    September 9, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.