Brian Dowling’s new documentary takes on Ireland’s online abuse crisis

Most of us have seen something horrible said online and kept scrolling. But what happens when the target of that hatred is you, your family, or even your home address? Brian Dowling Gourounlian has lived that reality for years, and next Monday he’s bringing the cameras with him as he goes looking for answers.

Toxic Threads, a new documentary in Virgin Media Television’s Home Truths strand, will air on Monday 12 October at 9pm on Virgin Media One and Virgin Media Play. In it, Brian fronts a deeply personal investigation into the world of online trolling, anonymous harassment and the very real damage it leaves behind.

More than just nasty comments

It’s easy to dismiss trolling as background noise — people being cruel from the comfort of anonymity. But as any parent raising children in the age of smartphones knows, the line between online and offline life has all but disappeared. For Brian, it became impossible to ignore when he discovered that details of his family home had been shared publicly online, despite previous efforts to have that information removed.

That discovery sets the documentary in motion. Over the course of Toxic Threads, Brian meets fellow victims, researchers, legal experts and campaigners, building a picture of how widespread online abuse has become and why so little seems to be done about it.

Among those he speaks to is award-winning author, journalist and political correspondent Aoife Moore, who opens up about the sustained harassment she faced in her career — threats, intimidation and deeply personal details shared without her consent. Her account is a reminder that this isn’t a niche problem affecting a handful of public figures. It’s happening to women across Ireland, in all walks of life.

The research behind the reality

Dr Darragh McCashin, Assistant Professor at DCU’s School of Psychology and Chair of the Observatory on Cyberbullying, Cyberhate and Online Harassment at the Anti-Bullying Centre, brings the data to what can feel like an overwhelming subject. His research shows that online hate falls disproportionately on women, LGBTQ+ people and other minoritised groups. Strikingly, only a small proportion of victims ever report abuse to An Garda Síochána, with many feeling there’s simply no point. More than 40% of those surveyed said the abuse came from complete strangers.

Cyberpsychology researcher Dr Nicola Fox Hamilton also appears in the documentary, helping Brian examine some of the messages he himself has received and exploring why people behave so differently behind a screen than they ever would face to face. It’s the kind of insight that stays with you.

Brian also meets comedian, poet and storyteller Aoife Dunne, who became the target of a coordinated far-right pile-on online and chose to confront those responsible rather than go quiet. Her story is both harrowing and, ultimately, galvanising.

What can actually be done?

One of the most pressing questions the documentary raises is accountability. Brian works with private investigator Liam Brady in an attempt to trace the anonymous account that shared his home address online. He also gets legal perspective from solicitor Sarah Watson on what avenues are actually available to victims, and hears from Senator Eileen Flynn about the abuse she has faced as a Traveller woman in public life.

Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland’s media regulator, appears in the documentary to explain how harmful content is regulated and why reporting abusive material matters — even when it can feel futile.

Former Garda Antoinette Cunningham rounds out a powerful line-up of contributors. She and her family were targeted with false and offensive allegations online, and her experience speaks to the importance of documenting and reporting abuse rather than deleting it and moving on.

Produced with support from Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound & Vision Scheme, Toxic Threads is the kind of documentary that feels genuinely necessary right now — not least for any parent trying to figure out how to talk to their children about life on the internet.

Toxic Threads airs on Monday 12 October at 9pm on Virgin Media One and Virgin Media Play.