As Trisha Paytas nears due date, she faces frightening harassment
YouTuber Trisha Paytas is facing heightened harassment from a "snark" community dedicated to hating her on Reddit.
Online hate for famous internet troll Trisha Paytas has become a meme over the years. Now her detractors are blurring the line between snark and abuse.
Paytas, a YouTube star who has courted controversy for more than a decade as a vlogger, has been the target of a coordinated harassment campaign whose participants organize on Reddit, where her every move is followed by thousands of people. Members of a Reddit community dedicated to Paytas have posted about her doctors and businesses she frequents, dug into her family members’ personal lives and made posts dedicated to shaming every part of her body.
It’s a situation that has spiraled in recent months, particularly as Paytas has gotten married and started a family. She is pregnant, with a due date in September, and the extreme scrutiny from her Reddit community has alerted other internet personalities, some of whom see a movement that has moved from typical celebrity gossip into the territory of hatred that's recently been directed toward many women online.
“It’s not snark, it’s just dumb and mean,” said Molly McAleer, who hosts the internet podcast “Trend Lightly” and co-founded HelloGiggles, an entertainment and lifestyle website. “There’s nothing smart or interesting about the way they discuss her.”
Celebrity culture on the internet can be particularly fervent. “Stan” culture includes fanbases ready to defend their favorite celebrities, while what are now commonly known as “snark” communities are dedicated to hating particular celebrities and can be just as aggressive.
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