What is snarking? TikToker Lily Chapman reveals intense online harassment she’s experienced on Reddit
On Monday 3 June 2024, influencer Lily Chapman posted a video on her TikTok account, announcing that over the next week, she’d be posting a series of highly detailed videos wherein she would be describing her personal experience with vicious cyberbullying online communities at length. The creator emphasised that her intention for sharing these videos was not necessarily to dissuade anyone from becoming an influencer, but rather to fully pull back the curtain on what being in the social media industry can be like. And indeed, the very real dangers that exist when you decide to share your life online. Cue dramatic music.
@lilybchapman 1.5 years ago i’d never heard of “snarking”… then it changed my life
♬ original sound - Lily🍒
From lawyers and private investigators to police reports and cease and desists, Chapman’s story speaks directly to one of the most evil corners on the internet currently: a hybrid online mob that engages in a form of harassment most commonly known as snarking.
@officialtamminsursok Anyone heard of snark pages? Listen to episode of @Women On Top link in the bio. bobbialthoff
♬ original sound - TamminSursok
What is snarking?
If you aren’t familiar with snark or snarking communities, it refers to a form of online harassment highly prevalent on Reddit. Groups will typically dedicate entire subreddits to spreading misinformation about a certain creator, fuelling rumours, locating and doxxing family members, and stalking people close to that particular influencer to exert maximum pain.
As Chapman reveals in her videos, she has had nine snarking Reddit pages dedicated specifically to her demise. During her initial post, the influencer also went into detail as to why she believes this is a “feminist issue” as snarking usually targets women more than it does men. The creator stated: “Snarking communities are unhealthy, they’re obsessive, they allow lies to be posted, they don’t moderate the lies, they indoctrinate new people to believe these lies and go way too far. And most people don’t even know that this is happening.”
@lilybchapman Replying to @julers_
♬ original sound - Lily🍒
The creator also talks about how while members of her personal snark community always say that they’re simply trying to hold her “accountable,” their primary purpose is really just to tear down every aspect of her being. Whether it’s criticising her looks and making snide comments about her family and fiancé or having an issue with her “posture” and the way she cooks her meals, you only have to spend a minute or two reading some of the comments on Chapman’s snark subs to realise that accountability is the last thing on any of these people’s minds. It’s all hate, hate, hate.
@lilybchapman “Accountability” as demanded by a snarker. Cancel me hoodie + more out now.
♬ original sound - Lily🍒
In April 2022, Business Insider published an article about one particular snark subreddit called r/Blogsnark. The page’s description reads: a place to “snark on your favorite bloggers, influencers, and everything else on the internet.”
With 100,000 members, r/Blogsnark is a prime example of one of the OG snark pages that has fuelled tensions between those who consume content and those who create it. And while netizens should have the right to comment on the actions and choices of influencers, cracking open that can of worms has led to the proliferation of hate and in a way it’s allowed smaller, more extreme, communities to fraction off and create much more egregious groups—ones that aren’t afraid to take things offline.
I found one of Chapman’s snark pages and it’s definitely an intense place. While there are valid criticisms of the influencer, the page feels like the less funny interpretation of “chronically online.” Lots of members seem to be debating the creator’s legal standing, and whether or not she has a case to make against the snarks. Others are sending well wishes to one another and reuniting, clearly a sign that their previous subreddit was removed so this new page has cropped up in its place.
Once again, I’m all about calling out influencer bullsh*t, but this community feels objectively unhealthy. No one should be this involved in the life of someone they don’t know.
Chapman recently launched a ‘Cancel Me’ clothing collection, with 10 per cent of the proceeds being donated to The Cybersmile Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to tackling all forms of cybercrime and digital abuse.
