Rachel Barnhart (left) and Ana Liss (right), two women who have experienced negative comments and online harassment

This is the 12th post in the “A Conversation With” series, where I interview smart humans about their experiences in the world of social media. You can read past features here.

This month, I interviewed Rachel Barnhart, a Monroe County Legislator, and Ana Liss, the Director of Planning & Economic Development for Monroe County. Both women are intelligent, hardworking, and have dealt with negative comments and online harassment. In this blog post, we dive into how those negative comments impact mental health, what platforms and people can do better, and more.

Tell me about how you use social media personally and professionally.

Rachel: I use Facebook and Twitter and share news articles that interest me, about my work in the County Leg, and slice of life things. I dramatically cut down my personal life posts on social media because no one gives me the benefit of the doubt about anything. If I post a silly complaint about a long line at Wegmans, it turns into “You’re a horrible human being, show some grace.”

Ana: I started my Twitter account when Twitter was new. I’ve been experiencing hate speech as a woman since before I cut my teeth. I became more of a public figure over time, most recently when I joined the chorus of voices calling out Governor Cuomo on his inappropriate behavior toward women and hostile workplace environment.

How has social media shaped your career path? Why do you still use it despite the downsides?

Rachel: I learn so much every day from people, news organizations, and journalists, but also through regular people by having dialogue. I don’t get as much out of it in terms of being in public office and communicating with my constituents. I communicate with them via email, phone calls, and knocking on doors. Really it’s the learning piece, making sure I know what’s going on in the world.

Ana: Social media has expanded my network beyond what I could’ve accomplished through in-person interactions or traditional networking. In a community like Rochester, it has gone even further to help me make new friends and cement great relationships with a diverse array of people whom I otherwise might not have met.

I would venture to say that I have my current job because of social media. People in my network who recommended me for this position had paid attention to matters that I communicated about on Twitter and LinkedIn. It’s also helped me articulate issues that are important to me, and listen to candid voices representing or reacting to things I don’t know enough about because of my own lived experience, like racism or implicit bias. Rochester is a very segregated place, race-wise, and so Twitter has been an invaluable community forum for understanding during the tense, violent, confusing era we’re in right now.

What are some of the negative effects of being present on social media?

Rachel: If you’re targeted, it can hurt your reputation and lead to real world harm. From an everyday usage standpoint, there are times when I feel stressed out because people are attacking me. It’s hard to disappoint people when you care about their opinions. I’ve worked through a lot of it over the years. I received a tremendous amount of criticism for going to a Daniel Prude protest. I got injured with a pepper ball and blamed for it, which was terrible.

Ana: It’s an indestructible public record of all of the things you thought were a good idea to post – for better or for worse – spanning decades. As a millennial, I remember and can appreciate the advice of our baby boomer forbearers who warned us not to cross certain lines for fear of being passed over for professional experiences (not that that has stopped countless members of our generation from stepping in it – being called out for a tweet they posted in, say, 2009). We have to remember that, developmentally, young people for the most part do not or cannot develop executive functioning skills before about 26 or 27 years of age based on cognitive science. It is alarming that we hold teenagers accountable for views they share based on lack of understanding. It is problematic that we give free reign to young people to post unedited, sometimes unhinged videos and rants. Also, it’s hard for women, in particular, because our bodies and our appearances get maligned just as we are lambasted for expressing opinions.

What are some of the worst or most alarming comments you’ve received on social media?

Rachel: “Die” or “I wish you’d drive off a bridge.” It happens a few times a year. I’ve had to call the police about a Twitter issue. I’m not a real person to them, they’ve dehumanized me. At the end of the day, we are real people with lives, feelings, pets, we’re part of the community! I have to post personal things to remind folks that I’m a human being.

Ana: I’ve been intentionally careful through the years because of early experiences. In the first chapter of my career, I was an on-air journalist. It was the early days of social media and our station launched its own Facebook and Twitter. This opened up a wider audience to local news content and to my appearance. There were lots of comments on what I looked like. I was stalked for an extended period of time, and my apartment was robbed of personal possessions, like undergarments. This was in 2008, long before a lot of the protective measures in place today.

More recently, after I decided to go public about my experience working for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, I was harassed online, called a “witch,” a “b**ch,” “thirsty,” a “wannabe,” accused of being in cahoots with Trump and trying to make money off of this. Learning about the “mute” feature on Twitter went a long way. 80% of the hate was coming from other women or nameless accounts with no identifying characteristics.

How have platforms responded when you’ve reported comments?

Rachel: On Facebook, the person who runs the page should be able to moderate the comments section, but often they don't. For example, on Channel 13’s website and Facebook page, people left a bunch of comments that were nothing but puke emojis. I called them and told them that their Facebook was causing harm to me and my campaign, and they said “Cuomo gets the same reaction when we post about him,” and didn’t do anything about it. I asked the D&C not to include my name on their Facebook page and they did, and the same thing happened. They turned off comments. News platforms need to have some responsibility and they have completely contributed to what I’ve experienced online. They think anything goes.

Facebook and Twitter do not address the harassment on their platforms. The mute button has made Twitter more liveable and gives me more control.

Ana: On Twitter, I reported about a dozen posts that I felt were targeted harassment. Only one of them was successful.

What do you think needs to change about social media platforms and the way we behave online?

Rachel: The ability to be anonymous online is definitely an issue. The harassment piece can lead to IRL stalking. Dehumanizing folks can embolden people to try to hurt someone. There are so many consequences. We had an insurrection on January 6 because of rampant misinformation on these platforms. There was a 75% decrease in mentions of “fraudulent election” after Trump’s Twitter account was removed!

We’re at a moment of reckoning with big tech. What is their responsibility in the public sphere? There aren’t easy answers, but we need to have the conversation. These are incredibly vital tools that keep people connected to the world, civic, and social life. How can we make them better and make the platforms more responsible? It’s so easy to smear someone. I wake up in the middle of the night scared about my campaign and worried about terrible Facebook ads being run against me. Why should people have to live that way? Why should voters have to be subjected to stuff like that?

Ana: There needs to be consequences online just as there are consequences in the public arena. Free speech is our right, but violent harassment is not. There are things you can easily get away with online by hiding behind a pseudonym or incognito digital profile. You can skirt policies by using language that technically doesn’t rise to the level of harassment while still leaving a victim feeling unsafe. A perfect example is the dozen or so posts I reported on Twitter that were reviewed and deemed harmless.

Also, I think we need to set age limits. We can’t just leave it up to parents and teachers to keep kids away from dangerous places online. We have to build the infrastructure such that – just like driving a car or enlisting in the army – you have to be of a certain age to get access.

How have these negative comments impacted your mental health?

Rachel: I’m a lot better today than I was a few years ago. I’ve had sleepless nights over comments on Facebook. Even though I’m stating my values, the comments are so hurtful that they could cause harm to the people I’m trying to help. I’ve given it a lot of thought. It’s negatively impacted my mental health, but I’m way better at managing it now.

Ana: I’ve been actively in therapy since 2014. It helps to have an unbiased professional tell you that you’re not the problem – the problem is on the other side of the screen, the other side of the table. When I shared an opinion, when I spoke up about the Governor, when I supported other women vocalizing their opinions about controversial issues, I was targeted by negative language. My gut reaction was “I shouldn’t have said anything. I am so foolish. Who am I to think that my voice matters?” But, in reality, I’m not hiding behind a Bitmoji, screen-shotting tweets posted by other young women, calling them names. I’m not the one with the issue here. For a lot of us, it takes a therapist to help you understand that you are not the problem.

What strategies/tactics have you employed to take care of your mental health when negative comments are pouring in?

Rachel: The mute button on Twitter and hiding comments on Facebook. I’ve come to understand that my Facebook page has a huge contingent of followers who don’t agree with my beliefs. I try to make sure every post can have the maximum impact and I only post once a day. I limit my time on Facebook.

Ana: The mute button on Twitter and going on social media diets. I don’t need to log in every half hour. I have work to do! And sometimes, rather than logging on to doom-scroll, it helps to call a friend or family member to catch up. I employ that tactic often.

Any final thoughts?

Rachel: It’s worth noting that this issue is far worse for people of color on these platforms. What Black women are experiencing--it’s really horrifying.

Ana: I’ve certainly observed this happening in the world as well.

Where can people find you/your work?

Rachel: You can follow me on Twitter. I find it’s a better platform in so many ways for having boundaries.

Ana: You can follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn, and read about Monroe County’s economic development benefits and incentives programs here. I’ll also give a shout-out to my boss, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. He was extremely supportive when I raised my voice about Governor Cuomo, even though he knew he might face political consequences for having my back.

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