“The Most Hated Man on the Internet” shows that internet misogyny has gone nowhere

The most hated man on the internet recently shed light on an almost forgotten moment in the short history of the internet, but at a time when it feels socially responsible to do so. This Netflix docuseries about the dangers of paying too much attention to bad people still manages to escape accusations of hypocrisy 10 years later because of its timely and tasteful execution for doing the same. By inviting discussion about the socio-cultural environment that produced the likes of Hunter Moore and his followers, The most hated man on the internet justifies its very existence by leaving its audience with questions: where did the rampant misogyny of the early internet go, and has it ever really gone?

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of The most hated man on the internet is how well it depicts the early 10’s. Through the use of archival footage and the re-creation of old social media interfaces, as well as the obvious testimonials and use of internet jargon, the audience is transported back to a more recent past that somehow seems ancient. Snakebite piercings, tousled, ragged haircuts, victim accusations, slut shaming, a largely unregulated online sex landscape… Had everyone forgotten what it looked like?

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It’s clear that the docuseries is reluctant to delve too deeply into the specific subculture to which Hunter Moore and his henchmen belonged, and audiences would be advised to do the same. But it still doesn’t shy away from depicting the vulnerability and desperate need to belong that united some, if not most, of these young people. Girls, boys and everyone in between seemed keen to prove something to Moore, who they considered to be a god of sorts. His sharpness, his looks and his anti-social behavior were the embodiment of everything scene kids admired. But before anyone was allowed to pass judgment on this particular subset of emo culture, the series makes it clear that IsAnyoneUp, Moore’s infamous website, has reached a global, multicultural audience.

If scene people were both driven and victimized by Hunter Moore because of their need to belong to unifying subcultural traits, what does that say about the rest of the world? What were the common interests and issues that brought all these people together? The most hated man on the internet points out that men were also victims of the IsAnyoneUp sexual cyber attack, but it is explicit that women bore the brunt of the viciousness and abuse. The comments and tweets that the series reconstructs from collective memory were not only transparently gender-coded, but were also predominantly aimed at women. As such, the only possible conclusion the series can offer audiences is that the single, most unifying sentiment of the time was nothing more than pure, unadulterated misogyny.

In a world where recklessness, an uncompromising lack of empathy, and bullying are rewarded, it’s not surprising that a person like Hunter Moore would be successful. The series has an impressive tendency to steer clear of obvious meanings, but the implications are nigh impossible to misinterpret. Would Moore have achieved such celebrity status without the encouragement of the attention economy, where engagement follows inflammatory content? Several times, audiences can see interviews or recordings in which Moore shifts the blame onto his users and washes his hands of any wrongdoing, relying on laws that protected him from his apparent “editor” status. In fact, you can hear Moore repeat the same excuse so many times throughout the three episodes that one can only wonder if the docuseries thinks he’s not dead wrong. Moore’s guilt is undeniable, but is he really the sole culprit in all of this?

In an interesting creative move, the audience is tricked into sharing the perspective of those who wrote the offending comments and tweets to the victims. Watching these hate and malice filled insults being typed on screen only to stare into the eyes of the women who had to read not one but thousands of them creates a whole new layer of meaning. Who were these people who felt so strongly about women’s non-consensually exposed bodies, and where are they now? Hunter Moore has a face, and as the title suggests, he’s easy to hate. Users, on the other hand, are faceless and sit behind a screen, much like the audience.

The most hated man on the internet doesn’t seem to believe in rehabilitation – not quite. Moore’s attempts at rebranding are portrayed as hollow and obviously fake. Perhaps the series believes that this is also not possible for society as a whole. At the very end, it is noted that while victim protection legislation has been passed, none of it exists at the federal level. Regulating online activity is the ultimate goal, seems to be the underlying message. As long as opportunities arise, as long as they remain unattended, people around the world will use the tools at their disposal to share in and capitalize on human suffering, and only laws can stop them.

The internet was a lawless place not too long ago. The case is a little different now, and revenge pornography has been confined to the criminal fringes of the internet. Hunter Moore was simultaneously banned from social media for life. Therefore, this docuseries is allowed to exist in 2022, when the danger to the public is over. Similar to them Anderson Cooper show that Moore and his website were inadvertently elevated to a global phenomenon, the same would have happened if a similar documentary had aired 10 years ago.

fears the same will happen to Simon Leviev, The Tinder scammer (from the same manufacturer as The Most Hated Man on the Internet), was a shared concern of audiences and critics when it first came out earlier this year. At least as The most hated man on the internet states: All attention is good attention and Simon Leviev promptly signed a deal with a Hollywood agent in hopes of cashing in on his newfound fame. But even if that were to happen to Hunter Moore after renewed interest in him, it wouldn’t negate the need to talk about it The most hated man on the internet suggests. One that wants to warn people about the fact that internet misogyny hasn’t gone anywhere — it simply moves within the bounds of legality, and it’s up to lawmakers to tighten those shackles.