The internet, the online world, cyberspace, if you'll pardon the archaic terminology, can be a tricky place.

Oh, it has its benefits, for instance, convenient connections to other people, like old friends, new friends, communities, of all types.

That can be very nice, beneficial even.

But extending yourself out to the democratized

online universe has huge honking downsides too. There are scammers, trolls, the comment section,

which you should never read, but sometimes do. It can be dicey when you put yourself out there. So if you want the good

stuff, the ugly stuff comes along with it as well. And the more out there you are, the more

problematic your digital life and your complete life can become. It's a very vulnerable

situation. And for some people, there are additional vulnerabilities

making everything yet more treacherous. If you deal with depression, for instance, the negativity

that can emerge with the world at your fingertips can be a lot. Or if you're part of a group

that routinely gets discriminated against and harassed.

I mean, you're safe here listening to this show.

It's DePresh Mode.

I'm John Moe.

I'm glad you're here. My guest this week is Lindy West.

Lindy is a very successful writer based in the Pacific Northwest.

She's been a New York Times opinion columnist.

She's the author of the book Shrill, which was turned into a TV series on Hulu starring Ad Bryant.

Co-host of the podcast, Text Me Back, Lindy West kind of first

became famous in 2011 with an essay in The Stranger, an alt-weekly in Seattle, entitled,

Hello, I Am Fat, which talked about the ways in which she sees herself and how she is seen

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