Game of trolls: how I took on the internet sexists with Misogyny Monday

Writer and broadcaster Julia Hardy was depressed and angered by the comments she received on Twitter and YouTube, so she set out to do something about it

I never really thought about being a woman as an "issue" until I worked in video games. Admittedly, I arrived in 2006, when the idea of social media was just taking off thanks to the explosive growth of MySpace and the arrival of YouTube. Out of nowhere, there were these vast communication platforms offering exciting new dialogues, fascinating exchanges of thought and " masses of depressing and upsetting vitriol.

It was only when I hosted GameFace, a video game TV show on Bravo, that I became aware that, as a visible woman in this culture, you can be subjected to torrents of spiteful abuse - as well as endless commentary on your physical appearance. Admittedly, I first discovered this through a serious rookie error: I googled myself, just to see how the new show was being received. It was a truly mortifying experience.