Netizens

Cynthia Lowen’s troubling, thought-provoking film draws on the stories of three women to document the destructive impact of online sexual harassment and the infuriating difficulty of combating its pernicious effects. Anita Sarkeesian’s blogs about sexism in video games initiated a cascade of harangues and threats from enraged male players. Carrie Goldberg turned her own stalking by a past lover into a career as a prominent attorney specializing in cases involving privacy rights, especially with respect to Internet revenge postings. And Tina Reine’s life was derailed by vicious lies sent to friends, family, and prospective employers. As the film makes clear, the battle against the scourge of net attacks on women is hobbled by arguments that such assaults, false or not, are free speech protected by the First Amendment, and courts are inclined to accept this defense. A further obstacle lies in attitudes, as illustrated by an episode following an autobiographical presentation Reine made in a public gathering: a man approaches her afterward to ask whether she was making too much of what, after all, was just a prank. Such downplaying of the cruelty—and impact—of cyberbullying is a major factor in the failure to confront it vigorously. But Netizens also adds that the situation seems to be changing overall for the better. Despite some repetitiveness, this is a compelling look at a timely subject. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)