You often see it. You'll then either reply or ignore it. But have you ever stop to think about it. I'm not afraid to say that I do. I'm speaking of course about negative social behavior, in particular that seen around the internet. It's not hard to find. Just scroll down to the comments section of any popular page. You're bound to find at least one published comment that stands against the rest. It's forever unavoidable. We laugh at them and think to ourselves, 'what an idiot'. We enjoy the drama they create with other people on the page. But what about asking ourselves that one damning question? Why? Why on Earth do people do this? It's the case with me all the time. I mean sure everything is going to have its share of followers and haters. And the ratio of likes to dislikes often depends on what kind of impact a particular something has on the people. But there is always that need for me to question that very small percentage of the hate group. Whether they are extreme haters or trolls. Then again I basically refer to anyone of the sort as a troll.
Let's start off with the basics. What is an internet troll? We mainly know them to be idiots hiding behind phones and computers, who seek thrill in tormenting others with extremely flawed preconceptions. They regularly tend to jump away from the topic of discussion, talk (or think) highly of themselves and trigger emotional responses from those within their reach. A troll's tone appears quite loud and mouthy and their language sees them coming off as childish and immature. They are the lowest of the low. But despite their defective attitude and low-class behaviour, trolls often succeed in their attempts to upset other internet users as it's mostly about getting attention. That's why when it comes to dealing with trolls, all are advised to ignore them and not give their posts any attention whatsoever (e.g. don't reply to them or like their comments). However, most social media platforms and other sites encourage users to report abusive behaviour or mark any trolling as spam.
So how do you tell if somebody is a troll or is trolling? While there may come the odd one or two outliers, most are really easy to detect. First step is to look at the structure of their post. Most trolls tend to become incredibly lazy and stick with either one of upper case or lower case letters. Most don't bother with punctuation and don't care how many spelling mistakes they leave behind. Their posts make them sound like they are rambling on about nothing of importance. Second step is to see the specific words they use. They will use modern-day internet lingo just about every single time. This will include abbreviations and other shortcuts. And they may even still abuse that slang. Take 'LOL' for instance, which stands for 'Laugh Out Loud'. Many trolls I've come across will instead turn this into 'LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL' to indicate to others how much joy they take out of what they're reacting to. Finally there is the third step, which is the message. Just determine whether or not it is constructive criticism. Check to see if it takes into account what it's actually replying to and that it doesn't deviate by attacking the original poster. If it's not doing this, then it's most likely a troll.
This ridiculous activity has however confused the minds of many people. At least that's what I personally like to think. Over the years, the barriers have become much thinner and a lot of us have lost sight of what is properly classified as internet trolling. It's gone as far as being simply people in disagreement and standing against another's point of view. Don't believe it? I was recently banned from a particular area on a forum after delivering a personal and reasonably considerate view of a particular topic of discussion. Much like everybody else, I gave a well-detailed view of how I saw something. Suddenly a bunch of challengers came by with little to add but insult and not long afterward a moderator took it to heart and stripped away my privilege to contribute any further to the topic. After finding out about the punishment for myself, I was a little bemused. But mostly it was me chuckling. Somebody basically called me a troll. Was I trolling? Of course I wasn't. I know better than to harrow others with meaningless and unsubstantiated drivel. I'm instead left to believe that some thin-skinned person couldn't handle a differing opinion. It was an opinion that may have had some inaccuracies, but was as worth as much as every other opinion on that thread.
If you want to know what actual troll content looks like, here are some examples (one or two are real comments from people):
This ridiculous activity has however confused the minds of many people. At least that's what I personally like to think. Over the years, the barriers have become much thinner and a lot of us have lost sight of what is properly classified as internet trolling. It's gone as far as being simply people in disagreement and standing against another's point of view. Don't believe it? I was recently banned from a particular area on a forum after delivering a personal and reasonably considerate view of a particular topic of discussion. Much like everybody else, I gave a well-detailed view of how I saw something. Suddenly a bunch of challengers came by with little to add but insult and not long afterward a moderator took it to heart and stripped away my privilege to contribute any further to the topic. After finding out about the punishment for myself, I was a little bemused. But mostly it was me chuckling. Somebody basically called me a troll. Was I trolling? Of course I wasn't. I know better than to harrow others with meaningless and unsubstantiated drivel. I'm instead left to believe that some thin-skinned person couldn't handle a differing opinion. It was an opinion that may have had some inaccuracies, but was as worth as much as every other opinion on that thread.
If you want to know what actual troll content looks like, here are some examples (one or two are real comments from people):
1. 'hi there! i am hope we can to talk cuz i am feel horny right now want to exchange phone numbers'.
2. 'Shutup c***. I f****d ur mum last nite. She luved it up the a**!'.
3. 'LOL you know nuthin'.
4. 'Can we petition to remove that A****n bitch from the show?'
5. 'WE WILL BOUNCE BACK!! ALL MY FRIENDS, MY GF, PEOPLE AT MY FOOTY CLUB, THE UMPIRES WHOM I WORK WITH AND THE PARTNERS OF ALL THE PLAYERS AT MY FOOTY CLUB SAY WE WILL!! WE WILL NOT WAIT FOR ANOTHER 37 YEARS!! SHUT UP YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'.
6. 'Hey man! Can you please follow me and subscribe to my channel? I make good stuff'.
7. 'Estelle can go die in a hole'.
8. 'Nobody cares what you think!'.
Notice what these all have in common. They're all in some ways negative behaviour. It's mostly long rants, dirty minds, horrible insults, racial slurs, self-promotion and even fooling others into having them give away their personal details.
Arguing with a troll is no exciting experience. Take it from somebody who like many others, has fallen victim to the idea that one would receive plenty of merit for putting a troll in their rightful place. Like such things as drinking, smoking and gambling, it can be an addiction. It's hard to resist that urge to correct them whenever they are wrong, regardless of whether or not they will accept the truth. It's hard not to fight fire with fire and stoop down to their level. It's hard not wanting to point the finger and turn the majority against them. Sometimes, you just wish that logic and reason would shut them up. That morality will teach them a lesson. It's completely understandable. What you're trying to do is be a good person and help set a decent standard for the rest to stick to. However fighting off trolls never turns out as well as we hope it to. They are like cockroaches. Hard to kill off. And there are always that tiny group of small-minded folk that encourage them with a thumbs up.
You wouldn't believe how many internet trolls I have encountered throughout my venture through the worldwide web over the past few years. I have seen them and have even faced some myself. It's not ever something I look forward to. In fact, I occasionally regret whenever I get involved. Just about all the time, it's me spending my precious minutes on arguing with someone who won't ever change views. They're like a brick wall. I don't look forward to what they come back with. I don't like arguing for hours. And I'm afraid if I ever step out of line (something which I have done now and then). I've never walked away with my head held high, thinking I won the battle. Instead I'd myself left with a bag of mixed emotions. Most of the time it's either feeling uneasy with my encounters or confused by their motives. Being an online vigilante may sound glorious in some ways, but the truth is that there is little reward in the role. Nothing much is gained.
Yet I think we can all agree that while fighting the social abusers isn't all that rewarding, it makes a lot more sense than being the social abusers. It's a question that deserves repeating because it's so perplexing. Why troll? What can one possibly gain from spending a fair chunk of their time, insulting others or acting like a child on social media? I can't seem to think of a valid reason. As a matter of fact, I don't think anybody can because there isn't one. Unless of course these people enjoy a bad image or simply feed on others discomfort, which would make them sad and worthless morons. There are so many beautiful things on this planet that keep people entertained. Art, music, film, television, books, fashion, video games, sport, food, travel, hanging with friends, etc. With all of this, internet trolling shouldn't exist. It isn't funny. Almost everybody doesn't like it. It's never wanted nor needed. So why is an internet troll a thing? There is one word the perfectly describes it for me. Unfathomable.
2. 'Shutup c***. I f****d ur mum last nite. She luved it up the a**!'.
3. 'LOL you know nuthin'.
4. 'Can we petition to remove that A****n bitch from the show?'
5. 'WE WILL BOUNCE BACK!! ALL MY FRIENDS, MY GF, PEOPLE AT MY FOOTY CLUB, THE UMPIRES WHOM I WORK WITH AND THE PARTNERS OF ALL THE PLAYERS AT MY FOOTY CLUB SAY WE WILL!! WE WILL NOT WAIT FOR ANOTHER 37 YEARS!! SHUT UP YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'.
6. 'Hey man! Can you please follow me and subscribe to my channel? I make good stuff'.
7. 'Estelle can go die in a hole'.
8. 'Nobody cares what you think!'.
Notice what these all have in common. They're all in some ways negative behaviour. It's mostly long rants, dirty minds, horrible insults, racial slurs, self-promotion and even fooling others into having them give away their personal details.
Arguing with a troll is no exciting experience. Take it from somebody who like many others, has fallen victim to the idea that one would receive plenty of merit for putting a troll in their rightful place. Like such things as drinking, smoking and gambling, it can be an addiction. It's hard to resist that urge to correct them whenever they are wrong, regardless of whether or not they will accept the truth. It's hard not to fight fire with fire and stoop down to their level. It's hard not wanting to point the finger and turn the majority against them. Sometimes, you just wish that logic and reason would shut them up. That morality will teach them a lesson. It's completely understandable. What you're trying to do is be a good person and help set a decent standard for the rest to stick to. However fighting off trolls never turns out as well as we hope it to. They are like cockroaches. Hard to kill off. And there are always that tiny group of small-minded folk that encourage them with a thumbs up.
You wouldn't believe how many internet trolls I have encountered throughout my venture through the worldwide web over the past few years. I have seen them and have even faced some myself. It's not ever something I look forward to. In fact, I occasionally regret whenever I get involved. Just about all the time, it's me spending my precious minutes on arguing with someone who won't ever change views. They're like a brick wall. I don't look forward to what they come back with. I don't like arguing for hours. And I'm afraid if I ever step out of line (something which I have done now and then). I've never walked away with my head held high, thinking I won the battle. Instead I'd myself left with a bag of mixed emotions. Most of the time it's either feeling uneasy with my encounters or confused by their motives. Being an online vigilante may sound glorious in some ways, but the truth is that there is little reward in the role. Nothing much is gained.
Yet I think we can all agree that while fighting the social abusers isn't all that rewarding, it makes a lot more sense than being the social abusers. It's a question that deserves repeating because it's so perplexing. Why troll? What can one possibly gain from spending a fair chunk of their time, insulting others or acting like a child on social media? I can't seem to think of a valid reason. As a matter of fact, I don't think anybody can because there isn't one. Unless of course these people enjoy a bad image or simply feed on others discomfort, which would make them sad and worthless morons. There are so many beautiful things on this planet that keep people entertained. Art, music, film, television, books, fashion, video games, sport, food, travel, hanging with friends, etc. With all of this, internet trolling shouldn't exist. It isn't funny. Almost everybody doesn't like it. It's never wanted nor needed. So why is an internet troll a thing? There is one word the perfectly describes it for me. Unfathomable.
Travis "TJ" James
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