Let's educate ourselves about TROLLS

What is a Troll?

An Internet "troll" is a person who delights in sowing discord on the Internet. He (and it is usually he) tries to start arguments and upset people.

Trolls see Internet communications services as convenient venues for their bizarre game. For some reason, they don't "get" that they are hurting real people. To them, other Internet users are not quite human but are a kind of digital abstraction. As a result, they feel no sorrow whatsoever for the pain they inflict. Indeed, the greater the suffering they cause, the greater their 'achievement' (as they see it). At the moment, the relative anonymity of the net allows trolls to flourish.

Trolls are utterly impervious to criticism (constructive or otherwise). You cannot negotiate with them; you cannot cause them to feel shame or compassion; you cannot reason with them. They cannot be made to feel remorse. For some reason, trolls do not feel they are bound by the rules of courtesy or social responsibility.Perhaps this sounds inconceivable. You may think, "Surely there is something I can write that will change them." But a true troll can not be changed by mere words.

Why Does it Matter?

Some people — particularly those who have been online for years — are not upset by trolls and consider them an inevitable hazard of using the net. As the saying goes, "You can't have a picnic without ants."

It would be nice if everybody was so easy-going, but the sad fact is that trolls do discourage people. Established posters may leave a message board because of the arguments that trolls ignite, and lurkers (people who read but do not post) may decide that they do not want to expose themselves to abuse and thus never get involved.

Another problem is that the negative emotions stirred up by trolls leak over into other discussions. Normally affable people can become bitter after reading an angry interchange between a troll and his victims, and this can poison previously friendly interactions between long-time users.

Finally, trolls create a paranoid environment, such that a casual criticism by a new arrival can elicit a ferocious and inappropriate backlash.

What Can be Done about Trolls?

When you suspect that somebody is a troll, you might try responding with a polite, mild message to see if it's just somebody in a bad mood. Internet users sometimes let their passions get away from them when seated safely behind their keyboard. If you ignore their bluster and respond in a pleasant manner, they usually calm down.

However, if the person persists in being beastly, and seems to enjoy being unpleasant, the only effective position is summed up as follows:

The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to reminding others not to respond to trolls.

When you try to reason with a troll, he wins. When you insult a troll, he wins. When you scream at a troll, he wins. The only thing that trolls can't handle is being ignored.

What Not to Do

As already stated, it is futile to try to "cure" a troll of his obsession. But perhaps you simply cannot bear the hostile environment that the troll is creating and want to go away for a while.

If you do that, then for the sake of the others on the system, please do not post a dramatic "Goodbye!" message. This convinces the troll that he is winning the battle. There is, perhaps, no message you can write on a message system that is as damaging as an announcement that you are leaving because of the hostility that the troll has kindled.

If you feel you must say something, a discreet message to the system operator (and some of the others users, if you have their email addresses) is the best course of action. Incidentally, if you are writing the letter in an agitated state, it is a good idea to wait an hour and then give it one last review before you actually send it. That might spare you the pain of saying things that you don't really mean to people you like.

In other words...

DON'T FEED THE TROLLS!!!

Why Do They Do It?

Affirmation.

Regular net users know how delightful it is when somebody responds to something they have written. It is a meeting of the minds, which is an intellectual thrill, but it is also an acknowledgement of one's value — and that can be a very satisfying emotional reward.

Trolls crave attention, and they care not whether it is positive or negative. They see the Internet as a mirror into which they can gaze in narcissistic rapture.

illusionist wrote:In other words...

DON'T FEED THE TROLLS!!!

Exactly!

Conclusion

Next time you are on a message board and you see a post by somebody whom you think is a troll, and you feel you must reply, simply write a follow-up message entitled "Troll Alert" and type only this:

The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to reminding others not to respond to trolls.

By posting such a message, you let the troll know that you know what he is, and that you are not going to get dragged into his twisted little hobby.

The Internet is a splendidly haphazard collection of both serious and silly material. Because it is so free, there are bound to be problems. I think that we can best enjoy it if we deal with everything that happens online with a wry grin and a ready shrug.

More info here:

http://web.archive.org/web/20060428091222/http://members.aol.com/intwg/trolls.htm

You can get it here: http://homepage.mac.com/aurich/ars/locks/feed_trolls.gif

You can get it here: https://wiki.cs.auckland.ac.nz/stageonewiki/images/4/46/Troll-web.jpg

You can get it here: https://2img.net/h/i387.photobucket.com/albums/oo311/lisa465111/MIscellanous/Trolls.gif

And my personal favourite:



You can get it here: http://www.military-quotes.com/media/data/605/medium/258Troll_spray.jpg

Nice post Annie. Maybe we should have everyone who registers here read an agreement that they won't post in a topic where there's a troll sign.

Annie,

I really enjoy your ability to sort through the BS and to have the clarity needed to recognize these hazards. Your communication skills and ability to bring everyone back to center is to be applauded. I really mean that. A lot of what you have said I have been thinking but you were able to verbalize it in a very concise, clear manner. Thank you for that.

So back to work, focus and don't be swayed or sidetracked from our common purpose here.

Remember, with trolls, less is more. Don't engage them in an argument, that is how you disarm them. (thanks Annie).

The search is on.

ILuvUMoreMJ wrote:Nice post Annie. Maybe we should have everyone who registers here read an agreement that they won't post in a topic where there's a troll sign.

It would be an awesome idea.

mjlmpicons wrote:Annie,

I really enjoy your ability to sort through the BS and to have the clarity needed to recognize these hazards. Your communication skills and ability to bring everyone back to center is to be applauded. I really mean that. A lot of what you have said I have been thinking but you were able to verbalize it in a very concise, clear manner. Thank you for that.

So back to work, focus and don't be swayed or sidetracked from our common purpose here.

Remember, with trolls, less is more. Don't engage them in an argument, that is how you disarm them. (thanks Annie).

The search is on.

Thank you so much!

I feel 10 feet tall now!

Lovin' the pictures about the trolls.
I haven't read the forum in a week or two so I have no idea what's been going on. I am sorry ya'll are having trouble.
Ugh...
Trolls need to create their own forums and leave the decent ones alone... HEAR THAT TROLLS!!!! I'VE GOT MY EYE ON YOU!!

Agree!!!

NICE! It all makes sense now! There are a million trolls on youtube. Now I can see why we get these random inane comments on here sometimes from new members. Hmmmm...sorry I did know that "trolls" was a real internet problem ...my bad

neverlandprincess wrote:NICE! It all makes sense now! There are a million trolls on youtube. Now I can see why we get these random inane comments on here sometimes from new members. Hmmmm...sorry I did know that "trolls" was a real internet problem ...my bad

Don't apologize but be glad that you've learnt something new.

"I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday" ~Abraham Lincoln

Once again, Annie, THANK YOU for the lesson. We have completed a quick but very concise lesson in TROLL 101

BTW you're right the best way to get rid of a troll is to ignore him/her!

Thanks for the post Annie. Very informative indeed! Your troll pix are sooo funny, I especially like the "troll spray" .

I think after taking Annie's class on Troll Basics 101, instead of being ghostbusters, we can be...da nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh..."troll-busters".

Thanks again Annie!!

thanks, Annie. appreciated the lesson

Thanxs for the lesson .... I need to know what a True Troll is ... now I know (but seriously - thanxs for informing me on this - I will beat the troll if I have to *JK*) ... *Knowledge is Power !!!* - *schoolhouse rock humor!*

*Inside Thoughts .....

MJsSuperflyPYT wrote:I think after taking Annie's class on Troll Basics 101, instead of being ghostbusters, we can be...da nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh..."troll-busters".

@ Annie thanks for your post and info -- sometimes things on the forum just go blazing by and it's difficult to keep up and make sense of things at the same time. Thanks for your concise, educative posting and advice. Good things to keep in mind.

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annieisnotokey wrote:

MJsSuperflyPYT wrote:I think after taking Annie's class on Troll Basics 101, instead of being ghostbusters, we can be...da nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh..."troll-busters".

I wanted to add to your library of "troll art" and let you know I have my proton pack on. But...someone else is gonna have to clean the "troll trap".

MJsSuperflyPYT wrote:I wanted to add to your library of "troll art" and let you know I have my proton pack on. But...someone else is gonna have to clean the "troll trap".

I love it!

The troll trap will be regularly cleaned by Oscar.

Thanks for the great lesson Annie. You are so clever with your funny pics. It very much appreciated. Keep the Faith!

Just echoing everyone else's gratitude for this post... we need to keep our eyes on the ball so to speak and not be distracted!

If there's someone strange
On MJKIT
Who ya gonna call
TROLLBUSTERS!!

xxxx

@Annie-Great post and I love the signs
@Jubilee-I love the words to the TrollBusters Song

annieisnotokey wrote:

illusionist wrote:In other words...

DON'T FEED THE TROLLS!!!

Exactly!

I won´t feed the TROLLS, too.
And I´m not afraid of them.

Nice post, Annie

@Jubilee Yay! We have our own theme song! Cccooollll
*humming* da nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh....