by Gretel Kauffman, The Christian Science Monitor

The social network suspended the account of the former US drug executive on Sunday after he repeatedly dogged a female journalist.

Martin Shkreli, the former drug executive whose dramatic price raises drew widespread criticism last year, was suspended from Twitter on Sunday after harassing a female journalist. […]

Laments of sexist, racist, and otherwise offensive tweets became increasingly common during the polarizing 2016 election season, as The Christian Science Monitor reported in October:

Social media, especially around election time, has a tendency to become an “ugly soapbox” for people of all political leanings, Brian Solis, principal analyst at the research firm Altimeter Group, told CIO: “It brings out the darker side of digital introverts in that we are willing to say anything … without logically thinking about its impact on what’s reality and what people will think about us beyond this election.”

Twitter in particular, which does not require users to use a real name or photo and allows any user to tag any other user in a tweet, has allowed those wishing to spread racist, sexist, or anti-Semitic messages to more easily attract the attention of high-profile figures. […]