How An Internet Trolling Victim Bonded With Her Worst Troll

On Friday, public radio series This American Life dedicated an episode to stories that revolved around anonymous Internet complaints and abuse. Titled "If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say, SAY IT IN ALL-CAPS," the episode touched upon online feedback in various forms: some sent to the operators of a "momzilla" zoo webcam, some sent to This American Life's producers, and some sent by a robot to its creator. Most of the stories focused on the recipients of "bile and hate," but one turned the tables by calling an apologetic ex-troll on the phone, at which point he catalogued and apologized for his use of anonymous, hurtful speech. In 2013, author and former Jezebel columnist Lindy West wrote an article about Internet trolling—an issue she said is "part of her job" due to responses to articles about such topics as feminism and rape jokes—that included an intense accusation: Someone had gone to the trouble of creating a fake Twitter profile for her recently deceased father.