Trolls
I’m still digesting this feature on New York Times magazine, a fine piece of journalism that sheds light on one of the Web’s oft-hated subcultures: the trolls. Writer Mattathias Schwartz profiled trolls, provided examples of trolling/cyberbullying victims who paid the ultimate price, and attempted to explain why trolling happens in the first place. There are many reasons, according to Schwartz and his interviewees, and the most frequently cited is for the “lulz” or the corruption of LOL; in other words, just for the kicks or because they can. Any self-respecting Internet denizen would be quick to judge trolls as psychopaths, but the trolls themselves also put blame on the recipients of bullying: they are drama queens, they had it coming, they take themselves too seriously, etc. While the trolls’ rationale is debatable, it is also true that there are people–a lot of them–who put themselves up for it with photos posted on social networks, daily dramas shared in minutest details on blogs, rigid principles that upon closer look expose the authors to further ridicule. Yet in spite of all the drama and narcissistic tendencies happening on the web, trolling is essentially cruel and does real damage to many, especially those who did not invite it in the first place. And technology, which allows for anonymous trolling, does not help recipients either.
“Why inflict anguish on a helpless stranger? It’s tempting to blame technology, which increases the range of our communications while dehumanizing the recipients. Cases like An Hero and Megan Meier presumably wouldn’t happen if the perpetrators had to deliver their messages in person. But while technology reduces the social barriers that keep us from bedeviling strangers, it does not explain the initial trolling impulse. This seems to spring from something ugly — a destructive human urge that many feel but few act upon, the ambient misanthropy that’s a frequent ingredient of art, politics and, most of all, jokes. There’s a lot of hate out there, and a lot to hate as well.”
In a response to the article, one of the profiled trolls provided a couple of tips on how to protect oneself from trolling:
All that having been said, there are only two ways to deal with a troll:
1. Don’t reply. Don’t privately address him. Don’t acknowledge his comments. Don’t even make a passing reference in another blog post. Just pretend the troll doesn’t exist. This gets rid of 90% of the trolls out there instantly. Then, if you’re smart, shut up and quit blogging for a few days and logically re-evaluate the post that set the troll off. Chances are, there is a glaring flaw in your post that makes you look like an idiot or a nutjob, and that’s why you got trolled. Don’t post again until you’re ready to amend it or defend it with better logic.
2. With the other 10% of trolls, you have to play the game. For every insult you receive from a troll, play along and join in the joke. If someone tells you’re fat (because you probably are), don’t get offended and rant. Just reply with a photo of a whale and say, “You mad skippy I’m fat! I would say this photo is me, but that wouldn’t be fair. The whale isn’t that big.” If you can successfully take yourself and the insults less seriously, you will win the good graces of the troll and he’ll either go away, or he’ll chill out, knock off the insults, and you’ll have made a new online friend. And trust me, it’s good to have a troll for a friend.
Of course, now that I’ve revealed this, no troll is going to let up because you’ve all been warned and can no longer claim ignorance as an excuse. So, your only recourse is to just not be stupid and/or batnuts crazy on the Internets. If you can do that, everything will be just fine.
Related:
Craigslist (from Wired’s Threat Level blog)
Trolling for Ethics (a blog about Schartz’s story, with lively readers’ comments)
