General Chat

What is a Troll??

Come back to me! See previous posting!! Lewella xxx

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. WHAT YOU CAN DO 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.

Im not too sure but I think I have met King Troll on Gen this evening/morning! Did anyone else see him?

Google: Internet Troll There's lots of information on them. Judy :)

Internet trolls should be ignored. Trolls under bridges - best to tell them that your big brother goat will be coming along soon. nell

Nell Not always easy to follow but good advice:) I would add that trolls come in many forms and are not always just those who obviously exhibit trollish behaviour.

Yes David I totally agree !!!! Elaine x

And there's me thinking you meant the type out of billy goats gruff lol

I think we all need a degree in troll-ology to understand half of what goes on on this board! Bev x

LOL Bev! BC XX

This - '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.' could be applied, at one time or another, to an awful lot of people who post on this Board. The published definitions of 'Trolls' are so wide-ranging as to include virtually everybody at some stage. The simple fact is that some people enjoy making fun of others and belittling them or making them angry. It's a deeply unpleasant characteristic, but one that most people share to some degree. How many times have you felt pleased when someone you dislike has obviously suffered some discomfort or injury? If your 'worst enemy' falls off their pedestal, don't you feel pleased? Mocking others and stirring up trouble for fun are forms of enjoyment for some people, and some are more practised at it than others. Once someone gets a reputation for doing it, they're viewed as troublemakers from then on, but they still try to whitewash themselves and justify their actions. I've always been shocked at the degree of suspicion levelled at certain posters on this Board, and in certain cases, it's proven to be entirely unfounded, yet the suspicion and criticism continue - and half the time the perpetrators are backed up by others who see nothing wrong in what they're doing. I find that quite disturbing. But then, there's no accounting for human nature! CB >|<