#Twittersilence trended on Twitter on Saturday as a silent protest against threats of rape, violence, abuse, and death in the wake of several high-profile cases.
The users are partaking in the trend because they feel that Twitter doesn’t do enough against anonymous online trolls.
“So this #twittersilence is about fighting back the bullies but I prefer not to stop typing and shout on top of my lungs so that ppl can hear,” wrote user ROAR.
Martin Bryant, the managing editor of the The Next Web, sees it differently.
“I might just stay off Twitter all day to avoid the orgy of self-righteousness from people who are both pro and anti #twittersilence,” he wrote.
Prominent Twitter storm chaser Scott McClellan said there was irony in the term trending.
“The fact that #twittersilence is a top trend worldwide, drips with irony. If you’re going to protest...silence usually loses,” he wrote.
The term stems from threats--named bomb threats--issued at female journalists, according to The Guardian.
Guardian columnist Hadley Freeman said she received several threats this week.
Grace Dent, a writer for the Independent, took a screenshot of one of the threats.
“A BOMB HAS BEEN PLACED OUTSIDE YOUR HOME. IT WILL GO OFF AT EXACTLY 10.47PM ON A TIMER AND TRIGGER DESTROYING EVERYTHING,” it reads.
