Louis Giffin
A “Lolcow” is derogatory internet slang for users deemed highly exploitable; they are often people who are mentally ill, disabled, or otherwise socially marginalised. They become targets of harassment by online communities that deliberately provoke and then catalogue their emotional reactions. This communal bullying creates a self-perpetuating cycle of exploitation, bolstered by the economic structures of digital platforms. A "Lolcow", positioned at the centre of this ecosystem, rarely benefits, instead becoming a commodified product through their own humiliation. This project examines the phenomenon through a written thesis and video essay.
This project aimed to investigate the relatively under-researched phenomenon of “Lolcow Culture” on digital platforms. Highlighting the cyclical abuse of vulnerable people trapped in the production cycles of online attention economies.
Digital platforms enable the exploitation of vulnerable individuals through the harassment of individuals known as "Lolcows". The research of this thesis explores how the low barriers of entry to participation, combined with profit incentives and algorithm-driven attention economies, ultimately result in the normalisation of online collective harassment.
Users engaged in “Lolcow” culture participate in one of three interdependent roles: Trolls, Content Creators, and Audiences. Using the case study of Christine Weston Chandler, a victim of this ecosystem, this project examines how neurodivergence, mental illness, and social vulnerability can become commodified forms of online spectacle.
Internet content is fundamentally reduced to an exploitative interactable object. Platform algorithms and advertising-driven business models reward attention, regardless of any moral ramifications. This allows harassment ecosystems to thrive even when platforms publicly condemn abuse. Taking a production-end political economy analysis of this concept reveals how platforms such as YouTube and TikTok incentivise the continued creation of harmful content.
At its core, "Lolcow" culture creates a cottage industry sustained by collective bullying, in which the community profits while the individual at the centre is left exploited.
My name Louis Giffin and I am a graduating New Media Studies student with a passion for hands-on, collaborative creative work. Through my studies, I have developed a solid foundation in both the theoretical and practical aspects of digital media, refining my skillset in writing, video editing and audio production. As evident by my thesis work, I am particularly interested in the ways in which modern internet culture shapes communication and the broader impact this has on contemporary society.
