Possibly it depends on what internet media you're using. Trolls have been around for as long as the www, and when forums/live chat were less well-policed than they are now their behaviour was downright disturbing.
Live chat rooms imploded and have never come back, and this is a good thing. They were fun and a novelty at first but they became so unbelievably toxic - people egging other, obviously disturbed people on to the most unbelievable behaviour - and they took that behaviour offline on occasion, too. The www was much younger then and its original users were less savvy about dropping subtle cues over time that would enable someone else to track down their real identities. The results were nothing short of horrifying, as were the 'doxed' identities of some of the depraved people who were using those rooms.
MN has a murky undertow, as does the whole of the internet, but there is nothing on a moderated discussion forum that comes close to some of the things I witnessed in the earlier days. The poo trolls, fetishists and MRAs are nasty, and put out dangerous messages to women that they should be compelled to tolerate horrible, abusive behaviour from men. But a great many women on this site will usually set them straight.
The anonymity offered by the web causes some people to behave in disturbing ways. Thankfully, unless you're using an ISP shield most people can be found and held accountable for their online activities, if necessary. Luckily not every idiot/pervert is tech savvy.