Trolling once had a specific and literal meaning, as opposed to the urban slang application of trouble makers and rabble rousers it has adopted today. Even trolls were cute little animated characters of elves and gnomes singing, dancing and using magic to help each other. But with social media, all that has changed.
At some level now everything on the Internet is about the cabal of shaming someone or the other. The primary goal of this ‘online gang’ is to provoke an emotional response, like anger, confusion or distress.
Sometimes it isn’t just about disagreeing with a random comment but actually a deliberate act of seeking out people to disgrace and humiliate them. And if the target pops a vein in the process, all the better!
In India, women are often soft targets, punished for that heinous crime offensive to conservative men of a fragile nature- SPEAKING! So generally, outspoken, successful and independent women are trolled worse than their male counterparts. This reinforces the existing gender hierarchy where the message is loud and clear- if you do not conform to your traditional role, you will be punished.
The nature of the abuse is also different, focusing on their bodies, appearances and character, thus reflecting a societal tendency to reduce women to mere sexual objects or even question their fundamental human worth.
It also stems from a power to control by manipulating a woman’s emotions, to disrupt her ‘online’ presence, to silence and limit her participation in public life. What is worse is the anonymity, which enables the faceless perpetrators to reveal their underlying prejudices.
It’s easier to express aggressive and hostile sentiments behind a mask, which they might otherwise suppress in face to face interactions. Some psychopaths actually derive enjoyment by causing women distress.
Many Indian women celebrities have been trolled for various reasons, some of which are ridiculous. Deepika Padukone was trolled for expressing solidarity with JNU students and more recently for wearing a Hijab; Sonakshi Sinha for her weight, her marriage and her on-screen 'no-kissing policy'; Janhvi Kapoor for nepotism; Priyanka Chopra Jonas for her young boyfriend and unrealistic beauty standards; Alia Bhatt for her general knowledge and IQ; Rakhi Sawant for wearing a swimsuit while doing Yoga; and Neetu Kapoor for not appearing as a ‘crying widow’ after her husband Rishi Kapoor's death.
But nothing compares to the kind of online harassment that Rhea Chakraborty was subjected to. Who can forget the intense social media trials and the crazy circus by the Media Clowns in the aftermath of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death?
Even if it was ruled a suicide, Rhea, along with her brother Shovik, was arrested in connection with a narcotics case. Not only was she vilified and labeled a ‘Black Magic Woman’, a ‘Nagin’, a ‘Gold Digger’ and a ‘Murderer’, she was also jailed and sidelined from Bollywood. She was even investigated by various central agencies, from the Enforcement Directorate to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Memes flooded the internet and there were death threats. In fact Rhea was given more airtime than the battle against Covid that our nation was fighting. Just because she came from Bengal, the trolls soon started targeting all the Bengalis too. And the result was that our hyperbolic news channels had indicted her much before the courts did. After almost 5 years of ordeal, the Supreme Court has finally granted her relief and cleared her from all the charges. But will these spineless, faceless trolls have the guts to ask her forgiveness?
Fast forward to the present, to a girl called Jemimah Rodrigues. Not many know that Jemimah played hockey at the state level for Maharashtra. She also played basketball and football displaying her strength and discipline. She was incredibly versatile because apart from balancing every demanding game as a teenager, she was also a guitarist and singer. If sports shaped her coordination, reflexes and competitive nature, music helped her stay grounded and joyful.
She is not just talented. She is unstoppable. When most children were learning basics, Jemimah was already breaking into elite junior cricket. She became the first woman cricketer to get the Khar Gymkhana membership. And then the ordeal began.
In 2024 allegations were leveled against her dad Ivan, of allegedly conducting conversion religious activities at the Club. There was no proof, no evidence. The entire family was subjected to backlash on the basis of religious bias. Jemimah went into depression and her membership with the Gymkhana was lost. She was heartbroken but her mother and friends supported her. And then suddenly, with one of the most memorable chases in the history of the World Cup of Cricket, Jemimah Rodrigues became a national hero.
From Bandra’s resilient prodigy to an emotional 127* semifinal century, her faith-fueled comeback, multi-sport roots, and viral music talent should have been an inspiration. From being dropped and doubted to leading India into a World Cup final, Jemimah’s story is all about belief and resilience because it just did not win a match it moved a nation.
But unfortunately, the trolling didn’t stop. When Jemimah, during her post-match presentation, thanked Jesus Christ and quoted a Bible verse, it did not go well with netizens, whose rabid ‘feelings’ were hurt. Her beliefs were mocked and her dad’s old controversy of religious conversion again surfaced. When she credited the Almighty for overcoming her self-doubt and mental struggles, a section of the audience questioned her strike rate. She was accused of being slow, and her remark on, ‘But I wasn't playing for a century’ was mocked for ‘wasted balls’.
And guess what, even after the miraculous World Cup Victory the trolling continued:
‘What happened to your Jesus?’
‘ Why didn’t he help you today?’
‘ Was he taking a Sabbath on Sunday?’
‘You will never find a better dramatist than these Jesusists’.
So Yes! The web definitely isn’t a friendly field for girls and women, even if you play your part in making your country proud. But here’s the kicker and I speak with experience. Sometimes women are not only the victims but also the perpetrators of online trolling. It’s a sad fact that most online trolls are actually women.
This may come as a surprise since our culture isn’t used to thinking about females as aggressors, but believe me the females can be even more vicious and deadly than male trolls. One of the reasons being, that they see them as competition and might be jealous of them or their achievements.
But all in all trolling anyone, (whether men or women) is only a reflection of a deeply entrenched psychopathic mindset of the individuals who perpetrate it. And the trolls (whether men or women) also tend to get a sense of power and control over others. Perhaps that’s why they attack only those they perceive as weak. But this psychopathic behaviour isn’t merely about online conflict because offline too it perpetuates a hostile environment.
But when trolling is normalized it indicates a broader societal issue. And the most disturbing and worrying factor is when the institutions designed to protect us, often fail to take online abuse seriously, thus further emboldening the trolls.
What kind of society are we creating? Is it okay to have such online public executions, where the victims are hung from the tallest tree by the thinnest thread by some and the rest of us lap it up? Is this the kind of trolling triumph we really need? Think about it.
Nargis Natarajan, based in Orissa, is a columnist and author. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.