Lucy Stephens: The haters on social media are actually just messaging me

I’ve posted 15 times on my personal Instagram account. An account I’ve cherished since sixth grade, evolving from over-saturated photos of my two dogs to a carefully curated senior spring break post.

Sifting through the comments, you’ll see phrases like “cutie” or “slay.” All things that are guaranteed to make my face melt into a smile.

But, two clicks away and I’m portraying my alter ego — @smeharbinger account manager.

For two years, I’ve held the title of Head Social Media Editor, which comes with the cryptic Instagram account password, passed down from social editors. What the ghost of Harbinger past failed to mention, however, was the hateful comments and direct messages that would flood once receiving this title.

In seconds, I go from a “baddie” with Pinterest-worthy posts to a “straight liberal” who runs a “sh*t account” — yes, those are real comments from the past.

Random users have said they "didn't understand how uneducated Kansas was," referring to the publication. Not to mention that we're "pathetic children [who] have no clue what [we're] talking about."

Even links to a petition with hundreds of signatures threatening to end the Harbinger have been spammed in our comment sections, which, truthfully, makes me laugh at my screen. You can’t end the Harbinger — the school doesn’t even fund us.

I don’t personally know many who choose to spend their free time spreading hate to a student-run newspaper, but there are thousands.

And what these people probably don’t understand is who they're talking to. Hiding behind the glass screens of their iPhones and burner accounts with ridiculous usernames, they might think they're messaging a principal or adviser.

But it’s just me. An 18-year-old high school senior who is trying to find the right response to a DM saying, “The Harbinger is ineffective, mismanaged and constantly underdelivers on everything it promises.”

And while looking through these various messages, chances are I'm in my comfy matching pajama set, drinking water from a purple Stanley. Probably the least threatening person you can picture.

Beyond managing the Instagram, I somehow find time to write. And even then, I can't catch a break from the people’s First Amendment rights.

Have I been called a “dumb author” for a review of Olipop? Yes. But have I been recognized nationally for my writing? Also, yes.

The most unexpected lesson I’ve learned from my time on staff was how some people will find any way to hate the thing you love most — and for me, that’s The Harbinger.

Personally, I’d never spend my energy spreading absolute lunacy to a group of teenagers, but for those who feel the need to do so, you might just be talking to me.