This is the story of someone who posted something online in their early years of college and the calamitous consequences that followed. To protect their identity, they will be referred to as Anonymous. Anonymous made an online post many years ago that was childish, immature, but worst of all, controversial. These events unfolded prior to the general knowledge and caution about how our digital footprint can haunt us into the future. Most people were not aware at this time how something could “go viral.” Anonymous’s post offended a large group of people who decided to take action against Anonymous regardless of their apologies. 

“That following morning I woke up, and I have never seen my phone more blown up anymore in my entire life,” Anonymous said. Imagine waking up to 27,000 hate messages on Facebook from strangers across the country. Messages like, “‘I hope your children die.’ ‘I hope you give birth to a dead baby.’ ‘I hope they bury you ten feet under while alive scrounging at the earth for the last breaths of your worthless life,’” all while Anonymous was alone in college. 

One individual, offended by the post, generated a large following of people on social media focused on punishing and ruining Anonymous. Online harassment soon turned into stalking, as various college students and even strangers began stalking Anonymous, arriving at their home armed with guns and other weapons. The majority of these aggressive stalkers did not personally know Anonymous or anything about them beyond the offensive post. Their entire goal was a vengeful attempt to harm and damage a college student for one online mistake. Despite the physical threats and aggressiveness, the university did not expel the aggressive students. 

All of these people who did not even know Anonymous were determined to punish them, regardless of who they were as a person aside from their offensive post. They used their time and energy to stir up and coordinate a public attack intended to destroy a young individual. 

The real-time threats and in-person stalking experienced by Anonymous are enabled through malicious doxing. The Department of Homeland Security defines doxing as pulling together someone’s personal information and releasing it for the purpose of instigating public humiliation, identity theft, harassment, stalking, and/or various other vicious acts. Any personal or contact information, such as phone number or home address, can be part of doxing someone, including social media posts (Homeland Security). 

In 2012, there was a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. Twenty first graders and six teachers were shot and killed (History). Following the tragedy, American Radio Host Alex Jones, started sharing a conspiracy theory regarding the mass shooting. At the time, Jones claimed the shooting was “staged” because the government wanted to “go after our guns,” (Lewis).

While promoting the idea that antigun groups decided to fake a mass shooting of kindergarten and first graders, plotting to and successfully killing classrooms full of kindergarteners and first graders seems bad enough, Jones’s followers believed the conspiracy. Jones’s nation wanted to show their leader faithfulness and devotion (AP News). 

Jones’s followers went out of their way to stalk, assault, and torment the mourning families full of innocent parents and children who did not sign up for the horrific life they were forced to live. Anonymous chose to make a post with the intention of it only being for close friends. However, Jones spread information so followers would take physical action against the innocent parents. The college cohort did the same thing to Anonymous; they had to deal with violent action and cyberbullying all alone. Both of these situations ended up putting both Anonymous and all of the Sandy Hook victims’ families’ lives in danger. 

Similar to Anonymous, the Sandy Hook parents experienced years of “torment, threats, and abuse by people who believed the lies,” Jones had spread. “One father said conspiracy theorists urinated on his 7-year-old son’s grave and threatened to dig up the coffin,” according to AP reporter Dave Collins. 

“The parents of a 6-year-old killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting described being put through a “living hell” of death threats, harassment, and ongoing trauma over the last decade caused by Jones using his media platforms to push claims that it was all a hoax.” They testified that there were actors used to make this happen to increase gun control laws. Imagine your kindergartener is killed at school, and someone is telling the world you never actually had that child: That is what the Sandy Hook parents had to go through (The Associated Press). The Sandy Hook families were doxxed by the Alex Jones followers; according to ABC News, they were doxxed by Wolfgang Halbig.

Like Anonymous, it was unsafe for these people to live in their own homes. Jones’s followers shot at the victims’ families’ homes and cars. Some families were forced to go into hiding for years just to stay alive all because a man decided to tell the world how a horrific mass shooting was just a hoax started by antigun groups (The Associated Press). 

Anonymous’s mistake caused them to lose their jobs and get evicted from their home. Over time, Anonymous started to become depressed. No job. No money. No home. 

“My life was a s***show for many years afterward,” Anonymous shared. In an effort to self-medicate, their drug and alcohol use went hand in hand with their growing depression. They also started using the drug molly and drinking more than ever before. The drugs and alcohol went hand in hand with their depression. 

The Sandy Hook victims’ families went through hell and back, continuously moving homes just to stay away from Jones’s followers. Years later, the victims’ families finally got justice. 

The parents sued Alex Jones “to restore and honor the legacy,” of their children, Heslin Lewis shared (Sandy Hook parent). This court case ended in awarding the victims’ families $965 million in damages (Queen), giving these families the closure they needed. 

It has similarly taken a long time for Anonymous to pull their life together. Once you make a life choice that ruins you, you will (and they did) hit rock bottom. Their life was threatened, they were stalked, in and out of rehab, and homeless. Anonymous has experienced way more life than most people their age, but they have learned and grown from it all. 

Conspiracy theories and people’s opinions do not go unheard. Anything and everything being said can and will always be repeated, whether it is positive or negative. Especially when online statements are made by influential people or are controversial and touchy topics.