Post by Jim on Feb 11, 2010 14:24:28 GMT -5
Andrew Gair, February 11th 2010.
On the Abuse of Internet Anonymity
The internet is a strange and unusual tool, giving users access to vast amounts of data and information almost instantly. The internet provides its users with a sense of anonymity; nobody really knows who any given internet user is unless that user decides to truthfully and explicitly state who they are. On top of this, the internet also allows users to post data and information on a variety of public sites, such as Youtube, Facebook, Myspace and other sites. Between the ease of transmitting data and the relative safety in being anonymous, many people have found a new way to entertain themselves : Trolling. This essay will expound briefly upon what trolling consists of, where it can be found, and how to both identify and avoid a ‘troll’.
Trolling can generally be defined as the posting of inflammatory, controversial, or extraneous messages in an attempt to provoke others into an emotional response. Examples of this could be as obvious as insulting another user’s lineage, physical appearance, intellectual abilities, belief system, or any other values that the victim may feel are important enough to defend against such an attack. Often, someone who is trolling, (often referred to as a ‘troll’), will attempt to provoke users based on the content of whatever website they may be viewing at the time. Such an example would be a post acclaiming that “Twilight is the best-written book ever and Stephanie Meyer is a genius author” on, say, a web forum dedicated to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series. Although more intelligent users may calmly and intelligently point out their careful considerations as to why they do not believe this to be true, chances are there will be some user that emotionally ‘explodes’ at the poster of such a claim. Such a response may go along the lines of “What. The f***. Are you completely retarted?! Meyer couldnt write a decent book to save her life! Try reading an actuall book sometime instead of an over-hyped fanfic, you moron!”. Now that there is someone willing to take a flimsy and emotional stance against the troll, the argument will then delve further into insults and squabbling. Often, the ‘defender’ will continue to lose coherency and integrity, while the troll continues to egg him on, gleefully watching this person react with more and more ludicrous reactions. Trolling is, in short, an attempt to make someone else angry enough that they respond without thinking through their response.
Of course, trolling is not purely limited to an exchange of text messages. With the creation of Youtube and the ability to allow users to upload content directly from their video cameras without editing or double-checking their video, trolling has taken a new form. Posting a video allows potential trolls to make things a little more personal against their victims of choice, making comments on their weight, their style of dress, their voice, their surroundings, and other such visible features. When the victim decides to respond with a public video, those who are attempting to troll him become much more amused. The emotions of the victim are given face, form, and publicity; such things are entertaining to those who wanted to make the victim upset, and have the added bonus of letting the victim seem like an overly-emotional individual with little in the way of self-control. Such examples of these can be found in the Youtube videos : “Norm Gets Mad At All The Haters On Youtube”, “World of Warcraft Crazy Kid”, “Leave Britney Alone”, and a rather extensive list of people becoming irrationally emotional in public. In short, trolling may be found in a variety of media, usually relying upon public sites.
The majority of trolling goes without response, simply ignored or dismissed by the intended target. Often, the best defense against a troll is to simply ignore them; they will often quickly give up and seek someone else to get a rise out of. Those who do not will try a few more ridiculous claims or insults before realizing they are simply making themselves look bad, then move on. The entertainment of trolling does not come from the act of being callous or insulting, but rather from watching the target user over-react. If the targeted user remains calm, then the troll will often become frustrated or bored. In short, the best way to get rid of a troll is to ignore them.
In summary, one should always be aware that there are those who find entertainment in watching other people get upset. To avoid being the target of such trolling, one should simply remember to keep calm and to think before reacting. Refusal to act on impulse can help people avoid embarrassment and mockery. All of the above can be summarized in a single statement : do not feed the trolls.
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I WONDER IF THIS ESSAY WILL BE GRADED KINDLY :B