In 1986, if you mentioned the word “troll”, people would think you either meant the movie above or were discussing fairy tales about castles and bridges. In 2013, the term is used for those who use the internet to provoke a response from others. UrbanDictionary.com defines it as “One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.”
The reason I am discussing this is that I enjoy getting my news from various internet sources and my favorite is syracuse.com. I love the variety of the stories and opinions and seeing what is going on in the community. I have met some of the staff and I am proud to support them and their work. In fact, other than prodigy chat rooms, my favorite memory of my first experiences on the internet were reading stories on their page. Heck, I even participated in one of their pizza challenges and had a great experience.
Unlike the newspaper days, you can add comments to a story after reading them on websites like theirs and not just read the paper and toss it only discussing it with those you know. And herein lies the problems that finally brings us back to the topic, those who troll these articles simply to either make themselves look like the cool kid in class or because they are miserable and want to share it with everyone else. Do so many people actually have such a negative view on life or are they simply like this “troll” below?
Let me state this right now, I have no problem with those who believe differently than I do. In fact, I rather enjoy a fun debate from time to time on most issues. I also do not claim to be a member of either party and I like to be open to hearing other ideas. This does not make me weak, it makes me open to learning about new people and new experiences. I don’t care what party you vote for at election time; if we can get along, you are more than welcome to party with me.
And I am also not referring to those who want to add a bit of humor occasionally to a subject as long as the content is not of a sensitive nature. I do that on various sites myself, including recently on NunesMagician.com when I asked Sean if Netflix was a VCR brand to joke about my lack of using many modern forms of media as well as my age. Someone else may say otherwise but I do not consider those trolling. Nor do I think responding to someone on Twitter or Facebook who differs from you a reasonable response to their opinion.
The problem is, trolling is when you do it simply to be a jerk and post negatively in the hopes of starting a verbal battle over a debate. If you go onto a post about a free concert by the local symphony and turn that into a liberal vs. conservative battle, you are trolling for a reaction (or as some would say you are now troll, troll, trolling your boat). If you visit a fan site of a team you dislike on a regular basis just to tell them they suck or mock their top players, you are trolling. If every article about President Obama you read causes you to simply call him a socialist, you are trolling.
So when is it not trolling in my opinion? When you add an opinion to the situation and not simply try to, as Urban Dictionary worded it so well, “cause a massive disruption and argument” but actually add to the conversation with an actual point. The great thing about this country is the freedoms we have to express our views and participate in such great debates. However over the years it seems, with the growth of the internet has come the growth of dumbing-dumb issues and resorting to bickering and name calling as if our best defense is a 5 year old kid saying, “I know you are but what am I”.
Now, have I been guilty of trolling? To a certain extent, I guess varying on your viewpoint, I have done it myself. Some issues I do take personally and when I see someone spreading negativity, I can;t just sit idly by and be quiet. I can’t sit by and watch when no matter your opinions on gay marriage, you publicly call for their harm or have zero tolerance that it is their lifestyle and their choice. I can’t go quietly into the night when you bash children who volunteer to try and make a difference or mock a death as a family mourns following an accident. And I have zero tolerance for bullying. So I guess sometimes when I know someone is going around trolling for responses on issues that have such an impact on me, I occasionally go back in to discuss the issue further and ensure people who simply want to discuss an issue intelligently or leave a comment of concern are allowed to do so and have someone to support them. I also find sometimes others will support it when they feel comfortable with others also sharing their view so I won’t give up just because the trolls have taken over.
I understand our world is not perfect and we all have differing opinions. That is why I enjoy Twitter because I may not always agree with you but sometimes I enjoy hearing others opinions and hopefully learning from them. My problem is, why can’t we all simply enjoy a discussion without trying to always incite a riot? Of course I would enjoy it if we all stood around a campfire, making S’mores and sing Kumbaya as we all hold hands but I am also realistic. Or as Walt Disney once said “I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.”
My purpose in writing this is not to bash any particular website because it happens everywhere (I have even witnessed it on sites that require Facebook or ID to comment and in all cities and states). I also do not expect to change the world tomorrow with this blog post and if you think I am preaching or getting on my moral soapbox, I am sorry you feel that way. I simply want to discuss why it seems so hard to just have rational discussions on an adult level when we should wish to set higher standards for ourselves and set positive examples for others. I do not have the answers and I am not perfect but I would love to wake up one day and find we live in a world where we can discuss topics without name calling and provoking anger. Where we can be different and not fear for bullying or trolls upsetting us in a time when many of us are already stressed out over so much. Then again, when most of our leaders can’t discuss issues but resort to character assassination instead of facts and solutions, where is the hope that those they set the examples for will do any better?
Last year, on my Syracuse blog, I kind of went after Syracuse.com for that same sort of thing. I said that if they made people leave a real name that could be checked that the comments would be better. After a discussion with someone on Twitter who worked there at the time for about 30 minutes I got him to admit that the newspaper worried that if they didn’t have all the comments, bad or not, that it would affect advertising. That’s when you know these folks don’t care about their audience; they care about the money.
As for personal blogs, which you didn’t talk about but I am, I don’t allow it on any of mine. I figure I pay for them, therefore my rules. This myth about freedom of speech means that many people are abusing it just to be jerks; there will be no jerks in my space.
Mitch,
Thanks for the response.
I guess I am fortunate that my blog does not get much traffic so I haven’t to worry so much about moderating anything other than a few spammers occasionally.
To be fair to Syracuse.com, I have seen other sites that that require real names/Facebook accounts and it may cut out some but not all of the jerks. Some people are not afraid to hide it. I do know often times, some of them will delete posts if they find them distasteful or using inappropriate language. I understand wanting to allow various opinions and I respect that but when the comments are “trolling”, I do think there should be something done about them. I am sure a lot have to do with page views and such and I guess again, easier for me to judge because I have never made a penny off this blog and have a fraction of their traffic but there has to be a better way than just allow jerks to take over pages. And I refuse to allow them to chase me away when I see so many others also trying to discuss in a more productive way.
I tend to think allowing fake names and then those abusive comments stimulates the rest of the people to being jerks as well. All these news sites said they added a comments section to stimulate conversation; the only stimulation I’ve ever gotten was to go out and hurt someone. lol
I think that is a VERY valid point but I can tell you something I noticed of late, many are supportive when I go in and post something positive as well. Obviously, I agree that those who abuse the sections should not be allowed back in but I have found it comforting as of late seeing supportive people not only thanking me for them but also feeling more freedom to express their views. I have no doubts much of the reason was as you stated, financial but I also know the best way to handle a bully is to stand up to them and that is what I do either purposely or just by sharing my views without hate.