Men without existing platforms can film videos of women at their lowest (like when they’re screaming or crying on the floor) and post that unflattering footage online, where it can go viral overnight. The women are often compared to Ms. Heard, and the videos of them can then become fodder for so-called men’s rights activists who make content attacking celebrity women. Some of them are more than happy to give wide attention to a narrative against a private figure, usually a woman, that accuses her of lying and being abusive herself.

All this is possible because many Americans have aggressively rejected the gains made under the #MeToo movement, which prized believing women who spoke publicly about sexual violence. Backlash against figures — public or private — who speak up reinforces the status quo and paints the accused men as the real victims. The women who repeat rhetoric that excuses possible male violence are rewarded with views and praise online, while those who speak out against it are added to the list of targets for the online mob to punish. The resulting information environment is so one-sided that women who don’t want to trip into the firing line might just decide it’s easier to stay silent.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5748116&forum_id=2...id.#49085660)