The internet is a minefield of interesting characters and every day, random interactions that you’d probably never have or see in your daily life are brought to your doorstep from the comfort of your screen. People you’ll never meet have access to you on social media, and sometimes that’s one of the most unpleasant things about existing online.
Here’s a list of some of the worst people to interact with on the internet. File under DNI – Do Not Interact.
Nigerian Men
There’s a Nigerian man in the comment section of every tweet. You’ve probably seen “ignore him, he’s Nigerian,” and to be honest, a lot of the time, it’s deserved. They are constantly body shaming women online, being homophobic, playing devil’s advocate and defending the most deplorable things, with the flag beside their name or location in their bio so everyone will know where they are from. Whatever you think is an obvious moral concept that should be widely accepted is just waiting to be countered by a Nigerian man on Twitter. They’ll defend rape, paedophilia, abuse, all sorts. They have the most to say to and about women. They also love to undermine women’s experiences and say “not all men” and truly, not all Nigerian men, but why so many?
Influencer Doctors
Growing up, I had a special reverence for doctors. I thought it was a serious profession reserved for the best of us until male doctors on Twitter started to tweet their thoughts and feelings. It’s shocking to see doctors who went to school and are supposedly degreed say things that are pseudoscientific at best and just plain stupid at worst, usually powered by misogyny. They have all sorts of advice to give, in the most condescending way imaginable, and usually targeted towards women. It makes me see the world differently really; unfounded biases, misogyny, and foolishness supersede whatever degree of learning it seems.
Stans
They will harass you for days on end and they have military numbers, so brace yourself. You simply cannot express open dislike for, or criticise certain celebrities because their stans search their name, and they will find you. Horrible really.
Banger Boys
Banger boys are always cooking. Making silly, rude comments and controversial jokes so that people can hail them in the comment section and say “W bro”, or “They’ll come for you, bro”. They think saying “LGTV community” is prime comedy, and every second tweet from them is a failed attempt at virality. If you see an @ on Twitter that ends in 4PF or a Pepe the Frog avi, then you’ve probably stumbled on a banger boy out in the wild.
Trolls
Troll accounts are accounts that were made or are used for the sole purpose of harassing people on the internet. They never have up to 50 followers and have no images of themselves in their media. Sometimes, the account is custom-made just for you, and sometimes the person is a seasoned veteran and has a special account dedicated to the purpose of insulting and harassing strangers on the internet.
Moral Police
Someone’s suburban dad has just parked his Sienna outside his house, and he’s enjoying a quiet 15 minutes before he goes into his wife and children. He brings out his phone to scroll through the interwebs to destress. He sees a picture of a woman wearing sexy clothing and is incensed, so he types a strongly worded tweet from his account @danielgbenga394829 and might even take a step further to DM her to tell her how he feels. They have unsolicited advice for everyone and deliver it with aggression. Their avi is typically a too-close-to-the-face selfie in a suit, maybe short-sleeved.
Incels
Incels love to harass and berate women on the internet. In typical fashion, they make their sexlessness women’s problem by slutshaming and saying degrading things to them on social media. Misogynistic statements, harassment and creepy DMS are their ammo.
It is almost impossible to avoid interactions with strange people on social media, except your account is locked, and not everyone favours that experience. Mute, block, and ignore accordingly to protect your space because there are a lot of crazy (and seriously idle) people out there.
