Episode 3: Don't Feed the Trolls! Exploring Online Misogyny

Why are female creators on YouTube relentlessly targeted with hate? In this episode, host Shoshana Eilon dives into the abuse faced by women on the platform.  Creators share personal accounts of the vitriol that targets their looks, humor, and credibility, while journalist Taylor Lorenz and gender expert Tamar Saguy unpack the societal roots of this misogyny. We explore how trolling disproportionately affects women—studies show female creators receive twice as many negative comments as their male counterparts, with a 12x higher chance of encountering sexist remarks. Despite YouTube's moderation tools, its algorithm rewards engagement—even hateful comments—causing harassment to spiral. As Lorenz explains, creators must either tolerate this abuse or risk losing visibility by disabling comments. The episode raises critical questions about YouTube’s complicity in fostering misogyny through its algorithms and what must change to support women on the platform.