TROLLS

 

When I was a kid, I had a collection of Trolls – funny little plastic figures with wild hair. One sat on top of my pen for years. I’ve always liked them. 

But nowadays, online trolls are pure evil. So virulent are Twitter trolls, the counter movement #BeKind has evolved. 

It’s all too easy to gob off online - a few late-night beers, and from the comfort of your own sofa, nastiness can wing its way into the life of some poor sod you’ve never met.

       It’s no good saying, ‘but they’re famous’ as a defence. That’s like saying people are asking for it.

       It horrifies me how personal some of the comments are. Women are slammed for being too fat, too thin, too old, having too much Botox, being frumpy or too sexy. We can’t win. Parenting styles are vilified. Often these comments are from other women.

Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can break your spirit. Verbal bullying can be worse than physical attacks. I’ve had both and I know what does the most damage.

       I was shocked to see some of the hurtful comments aimed at me when I did Celebrity Fit Club, just a few weeks after my mum died of a heart attack. I cried a lot on that show. Doing press ups in the ice, even when you haven’t recently lost your mum is enough to make most people cry, to be honest. But a couple of people accused me of being fake. Hardly compassionate.

       Some people like to kick you when you’re down. Others lash out without really thinking. But if a comment catches you on a bad day, it can do untold damage.

My debut novel, Call Me Mummy explores some of the dangers of social media. Kim, the poor woman who loses a child in a busy shop, is branded a Scummy Mummy, because she’s distracted, hard-faced, working class, has tattoos, smokes and swears – all things I could be accused of too, although I’ve not smoked for years. Negative public opinion of Kim hampers the investigation.

But the irony is, at its best Twitter and Instagram and Facebook are all wonderful. Over a year of shielding (asthma) it has been a social lifeline for me. I’ve managed to keep in touch with people across the world I can’t see – friends in Australia, my brother in Spain. And I’ve made new friends. At a time I’ve felt my life contract I’m so grateful to have it. And Book Twitter seems to be the best place in the world. Supportive and fun. It’s kept me going.