COMMENT
Toxicity online is not new – sadly, and yesterday's interview with a creative technologist on the level of abuse female politicians cop online - as opposed to men - proved that.
It's so bad a tech company has set up a Twitter bot that uses artificial intelligence to seek out hateful tweets and post positive ones in response.
It's an attempt to try to balance out the toxicity online.
Disturbingly, toxic Twitter is not unique to New Zealand and is a global trend but the bot found New Zealand Twitter really is next level nasty.
So why is that? Is Twitter too politicised? Has it become the weapon of choice for the bored and negative who are desperate for an outlet?
Online abuse is so pervasive these days. I see the line judge hit in the throat by Novak Djokovic's stray tennis ball is getting abused online after she was named by Serbian media. It was reported that the "worst of the abuse included mocking her for the death of her son". Now if that's not the lowest of the low I don't know what is.
So what makes people so sure of themselves online, so arrogant to assume that such nastiness on a keyboard is acceptable?
People seem to say far worse things anonymously or online than they ever would to your face.
National MP Nicola Willis pointed out yesterday that the people sending hateful tweets have their own issues. She said it's unfortunate there's a market for hate, just as there's a market for lovely affirmations. "It's up to us to put our big girl pants on and keep marching on", she said.
That's easier said than done for many, you have to pretty thick-skinned.
But are women targeted more than men? One could argue that no one is the focus of more online hate than US President Donald Trump. So maybe it's a politicians' thing? To put your head above the parapet and take a political stance is potentially "asking for it" maybe?
There are those who will come at you because they hate what you're saying; those who will come at you because they hate the way you said it; and then, inevitably, those who just want you cancelled no matter what you say.
None of this can really be taken personally, it's the haters projecting their own issues. But I know on Newstalk ZB there are many strong opinions expressed, and often times it's the women expressing them who're more personally targeted than the men.
So who's doing the trolling? Is it women looking to take down other women? Is it men aggrieved that a woman has a job that enables her to express an opinion? Is it just bored people with too much time on their hands?
Either way, it's a sad indictment on our modern digital world that so much of what was established online to be about community, has instead become about hate.
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