2025-05-07 – News – www.theguardian.com
Who was behind the anonymous account sending nasty messages at 4am? The answer made me paranoid, then defiant
When I first saw the message, I froze with shock. I had just woken up and, as usual, was spending the first half hour of my day in bed, clearing notifications from social media apps. That day, hidden in my Instagram message requests, was a troll. Their message, which read, “Your actually disgusting and you shouldn’t be promoting morbid obesity”, was sent from an anonymous account, at 4am. The message continued: “Stop pretending you love your body because your too lazy to diet or exercise.”
I felt upset but, more than anything, I felt surveilled. Who could have sent me this attack? The more I read, the worse it got. I knew I should ignore the message – simply delete it and carry on with my day – but curiosity got the better of me. I started to look for clues.
