Exposing a Masked Torturer
An interview with Social Psychologist Dr. Carol Jasper
I'm delighted to invite Scottish social psychologist Dr Carol Jasper back to Traces of Therapy. I had the pleasure of interviewing her before about her psycho-education work on X/Twitter. This is arguably a somewhat darker topic, namely being targetted by a Masked Torturer for an extended period.
Paul: Hi Carol. Welcome back. For those who’ve not read your prior interview, can you share a bit about your background and what drew you to your current work or activism?
I'm an academic social psychologist. I switched careers in my 30's and studied my degrees part-time while raising my children, so I'm a late starter in academia. I'm driven by inequality really, I studied social hierarchies during my PhD and, honestly, I was somewhat radicalised by the experience of being immersed in the lives of those pupils who were struggling with poverty, isolation, and institutionally entrenched inequalities. It changed me and my perspectives beyond measure and it was during this time of perspective change, I also became vegan. Now I am driven by researching a range of social justice movements including, but not restricted to, gender equity, neurodiversity, veganism, social class hierarchies etc, all of which are rooted in understanding the impact of inequality and/or oppression of human and non-human animals.
Paul: What initially motivated you to engage with the online spaces or communities where the harassment occurred?
It was only post-pandemic that I engaged professionally with X/Twitter, I realised that my social psychological explanations of behaviour was helping people with the weirdness of life in lockdowns and became aware of what I tend to refer to as 'the contrarians'. With my usual hyper focus, I started to really explore these subcultures in an effort to try to understand why people held the positions they did, what motivated them and how and why they were persuaded. At this point I was accustomed to dealing with anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists, and those who were heavily invested in online communities holding these contrarian positions. I was used to insults, occasional death threats, organised, or co-ordinated trolling and so on.
Paul: When did you first start noticing online hostility directed at you?
Yeah, so I was used to (mostly) ignoring abusive or insulting behaviour when I first encountered the anti-vegan trolls. My co-author and I had published a paper about why vegetarians felt ethically worse about drinking milk than eating cheese, found here, and it gained some nice traction and publicity. I had tweeted about the paper and found myself the focus of some heavy carnist ire. Clearly I had been exposed to a group of avid anti-vegan trolls.
Paul: How did it initially manifest?
I was on holiday at the time and had the time to respond and rebut and, at the beginning, I quite enjoyed the challenge. I enjoy debate and I'm not shy about confrontation or defending my position, so I engaged. I had not previously encountered any sustained assault such as this and I was naive as to the best way to manage it. It started as questions and mocking our methods. It's a reflexive, qualitative paper and the trolls clearly lacked knowledge of the various different philosophies underpinning all science, and thought that subjectivity, embraced in this type of research alongside bias mitigation, was nonsense. To be honest, they are not alone - we often face challenges from traditional, positivist, experimental, quantitative scholars so I challenged it as an attack on our professional and ethical integrity.
Paul: What do you think motivated the trolls to target you?
They expressly hate vegans. They compile lists of dead vegans, mock vegans who have lost their baby tragically, they mock vegans with cancer, they post despicable content and espouse hateful ideologies designed to undermine anyone who does not avidly consume flesh.
Paul: Lists of dead vegans! Yikes. Can you describe the nature of the harassment you experienced and how did it evolve over time?
Constant questioning of my entire life. One in particular sought out any public information I had online (I have most accounts strictly private but do have a public vegan foodie inspiration page mainly for friends and family) which they trawled. They found communications on there from my Mum, they reposted images of me, they made references to my family: my children and husband, they found a food hygiene course I'd done years ago, and all of this was designed to undermine my position and claim I had a conflict of interest in my paper.
They contacted my work, our ethics panel, and people in positions of authority in our university. They accessed my PhD and changed their bio to our family motto, which was my thesis dedication to my Papa. A threat was made to the editor of our paper, they insisted that a slight change was made to our work on the basis that my co-author was linked with an animal rights organisation during her masters. This resulted in us making a wholly unnecessary addition to the paper given the work explicitly states we believe in animal liberation.
I was concerned for my young co-author who did not have the experience I had online. I felt exposed, vulnerable, frightened at times, and an unexpected level of humiliation. I fell into the trap of defending myself from these relentless attacks until our online communications manager sought me out and advised me to stop using my twitter account entirely for a fortnight. Which I complied with.
But then I felt frustrated at being silenced, after all, I had done absolutely nothing wrong. I consulted my Head of Division, resumed my twitter activity and ceased responding to the trolls who then sought out every piece of content I tweeted, continued to tag my employers, harassed people I engaged with, and this persisted for months. I have 839 separate screenshots of their sustained obsession with me.
Paul: 839 screenshots from one person! Were there any notable patterns or tactics used by the trolls that stood out to you?
Yes. They always referred to me in a specific, I assume mocking, manner: Dr Jasper PhD. They corrected any typo, error, and retweeted the same things over and over again. They used a lot of repetition and much of their content was framed as 'just asking questions'.
Paul: I saw some of the last waves of tweets from her and they were indeed very formulaic. After reading about the Masked Torturer, do you feel the profile fits your experience?
100% I had already realised the main troll was not a well adjusted person and I already felt a lot of pity for the miserable way they conducted themselves online but the profiles were incredibly accurate and I realised the level of internalised shame and potential self-disgust they may have been projecting. Their personal attacks on me were very telling: that I was an alcoholic abuser, that I was suffering from an eating disorder, that I hated people, that I was dishonest and unloved.
Paul: Has understanding the profile changed how you view the motivation or behaviour of the troll who targeted you?
Like I say, I had already developed feelings of deep pity towards them. I was lucky in that I was provided with their identity quite early on in the process. I knew a lot about them, their life, their family, previous businesses, I was able then to find them on other platforms and observe their behaviour towards others and, with each target I observed them attack, I saw the same tired points, the same sad tactics, and I realised how awful it must be to live like that and to have the need to externalise the level of hatred they are motivated to direct towards others, just for eating plants, and NOT harming animals. It's extraordinary. So when I read about their potential internalised shame, their need for perfection, and the level of their unhappiness - it was a relief to understand, and then to process that their behaviour was a pitiful reflection of them and nothing really to do with me.
Paul: I’m glad it helped. Did any particular traits from the profile resonate with what you experienced from your harasser? What might be missing?
The profile of the Masked Torturer is eerily accurate. The only thing missing is the mockery. Their mocking use of my title which they implied I did not deserve, their constant appeals to other authorities, primarily another scientist who, remarkably, and to his eternal shame, aligns with this person, and these things suggest to me there is possibly a feeling of inadequacy, a lack of status. I have a small platform but I am listened to, I am asked to speak or write, I have an audience both in real life, and online whereas they had around 6 followers, no traction, no impact, and no reach. Their motivation was not to increase their following, but to punish me for holding a position they could not. In short, they were jealous of me, and that I had, and could continue, to accomplish things they could not.
Paul: How did you respond emotionally and practically to the harassment?
Initially, it was a bit scary. I felt like they were closing in on me. I now realise that was their intent. Very quickly, however, I realised they were a cowardly person. They had the opportunity to communicate with my co-author and I in an online conference they stalked us in. They chose to stay silent and then complained no one challenged us. At that moment, I knew they were to be pitied and not feared. They lost all power in that moment. From then I was emotionally detached. it was an inconvenience, an annoyance, nothing more. They have absolutely no place in my thoughts.
Practically, I let them know I knew who they were in a thread on Twitter. I blocked one of their Facebook accounts so they knew I meant it. I had consulted with an online digital detective, cyber security expert, the police, an online harassment lawyer, and my own institution and knew I could pursue them legally so I let them know this, but did not, and would not, divulge their details. I showed them mercy, kindness, and leniency although they deserved none of that. From that moment, they ceased. As I said, they are a cowardly person who would be unable to withstand the shame of being publicly 'outed' as an online troll of the worst kind. An important point is that I never sought to find their identity myself, people who witnessed their unfair harassment of me chose to make it their objective, and I am eternally grateful to them for that.
Paul: The threat of exposure really does work. Well done! What strategies helped you cope with or mitigate the stress of being targeted?
Knowing I was a much better person helped a lot. There was a real power in ignoring someone who was utterly desperate for your engagement.
Paul: Were there any moments when you felt more in control or empowered?
Once I chose to ignore, I felt more control. But it was not until I chose to let them know that I would not tolerate their behaviour any further, that I knew it was over, and I had succeeded. What is more, I never let their constant derision affect me, stop me doing what I do, and it did not diminish me in any way.
Paul: Were friends, family, or colleagues supportive during the harassment?
Yes, but people think it will 'just go away' but these are not your 'average' trolls, these are disturbed souls with obsessive tendencies. they appear to have a deep 'need' to bring you down. People who don't witness this first hand, do not realise the extent of the issue. That said, I had huge support from online communities, my colleagues, my institution who monitored the situation throughout, and my family. Turns out that they do indeed love me :)
Paul: Did you find any formal or informal networks helpful in navigating this experience?
My network of online buddies were invaluable in this. They were so supportive and kind and I cannot thank them enough. People I have never met spent weeks of their lives helping me. And that alone is hugely validating and empowering. I'm extremely fortunate to be surrounded by great people who know when to joke, when to poke fun, and when to offer to do anything you ask to help.
Paul: Looking back, do you feel you’ve grown or changed from the experience of dealing with the harassment?
Oh goodness me yes! I'm actually grateful for the experience. I'm much smarter, much less naive, it was a steep learning curve but very, very helpful. I learned that I can choose how I communicate, that I owe no one any of my time, that I am doing ALL the right things by provoking such extreme reactions in people. I will continue to work in these contested spaces and the work I do has the opportunity to make a positive difference. The trolls have nothing on that.
Paul: Has this experience altered how you engage with online spaces or respond to future harassment?
Completely. I'll give someone the chance to discuss if they appear in good faith but the minute I detect Sealioning or JAQing I immediately withdraw. I had an encounter recently with a member of the anti psych community, I tried to be patient, but they twisted everything I said, consistently put words in my mouth, misrepresented my opinion and then, when I muted, went on to call me toxic, evil, and so on. Fortunately, now I am able to feel empathy for their suffering but shrug and move on. They don't deserve my time or my attention.
Paul: Has understanding the various troll profiles shifted your perception of how online trolls operate and what might drive their behaviour?
It's clarified the types of trolls and strengthened my resolve to try to model patience, respect, and humour to deal with people who are trying to provoke a reaction from me.
Paul: What advice would you give to someone else going through a similar experience with harassment?
Find ways to regain control. You cannot control how others perceive you or how they act towards you. But you can rise above it, reframe the abuse in your own way whether that is humour or using their critique to start a new conversation that you control. Be aware of accounts with minimal reach. they're probably looking for their next 'victim'.
Paul: Is there anything you think can be done on a broader scale to better protect people from these kinds of online attacks?
Where to start? Musk isn't going to protect us so I think our best bet is awareness. And I am indebted to you for the time and care you have put into this series, your unwavering support and kindness to me, and Jonathan Stea in particular, and for building this toolkit. There's a handbook in this :)
Paul: It’s been my pleasure. Thank you so much for be willing to share your story. I think people can learn a lot from it. I know I have!